Fervor, Mei Sanguis
by Milbunk
Summary: Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald decides to enter the 4th Holy Grail War. He consider it as just a contest to prove his nobility, but will things be as easy as they seem?
1. Prologue - To Enter a War

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction and I do not own anything from Type-Moon. All characters and settings here belong to Type-Moon and Nasu.

The only sounds that echoed in the elaborately decorated office were the monotonous ticking of the clock and the rustling of papers. As the man sat alone in his desk, quietly reading through the papers while also carrying about a bored expression.

"Heaven's Feel…"

A smirk crept up the man's face as he read through the papers yet again, stopping only momentarily to take a sip of the bitter black tea that sat near him.

It was a war between mythical legends for the chance to be granted the greatest prize: a wish. An opportunity for a person to receive their deepest desires. A test of skill, of prowess, and of nobility.

He had no interest in wishes; he already had everything he could ever want. He had power, fame, success, heritage, nobility, and perhaps most important of all: a fiancé.

Yet, an opportunity like this did not come around often, and he couldn't help but express a vague interest in the war.

Once more he glanced at the scorch marks that marred his door, his smirk quickly faded into something far angrier as a hint of fury fell across his face. Finding the one who was careless enough to lose his possessions was easy enough, yet locating the thief himself was an endeavor, a sorry mistake, that he has paid for thrice over.

Investigations had been launched, questions asked, lectures cancelled, all for the sake of one foolish man, one man who dared to stand against him.

"Velvet…"

He recalled the momentary lapse of judgement as the bolt of lightning flew towards the poor delivery man's panicked body, only to miss by mere inches, blasting the door in his stead.

Nearly wetting himself in fear, the delivery man bolted from the room. But thinking of past events would be of no to help in a desolate place like this. Now he needed to decide once and for all whether or not to truly dedicate himself to this cause.

"Professor Archibald!"

There was a knock at the door, the darkness from Kayneth's angry eyes disappeared in a flash as he returned to his more natural stature.

"Come in."

A different figure entered this time, his clothes were disheveled and displaced, arranged in a strange fashion like a mouse in fox fur, from running all the way there. He carried with him a small package held tight in his arms.

"We've found it!"

The man held out the package for Kayneth to see, holding back his excitement he merely glanced at the man before signalling for him to set the package on his desk before him.

"That will be all then."

With a wave of his hand he dismissed the man, who while showing obvious signs of disappointment, could only bring himself to mutter a pardon as he quickly left the room once more, leaving Kayneth alone with the man's newfound discovery.

Carefully, he untied the strings and began to unwrap the precious paper that preserved the contents inside. What he discovered was exactly what he expected, it was nothing more than a small shard of pulsing yellow metal.

The shard was a piece of the magical sword Moralltach. With this newfound catalyst, his decision became clear as day. There was no longer any turning back. He would enter this Holy Grail War, just to prove that he and he alone was fit to rule.

'My victory is all but assured, I shall crush this pathetic competition beneath my boot. I will throw the unworthy aside and put down that foolish peasant of a student. For I am Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, and I will go down in legend as one of the greatest magi to ever live!

**Fervor, Mei Sanguis (A Kayneth Story)**

'Attention passengers, our flight will be ending shortly. Please stay seated while the plane lands.'

'Wha!?' Kayneth was not the kind of person suited to long distance travel. Rather he preferred to stay in the comfort of his lecture hall, with his students fixed on his every word. or in his laboratory, enhancing his magical talents. So when he awoke with a start due crackling sound of the speaker and the message from the flight attendant, he couldn't help but be surprised and a bit annoyed. Taking a quick glance out the small airplane window he got a glimpse of the many skyscrapers that dotted the city of Fuyuki in contrast to the smaller residential areas that surrounded them. The plane continued its descent towards Fuyuki occasionally rumbling and shaking from the outside elements, but eventually it landed safely on the ground.

He took a glance towards the red haired lady sitting next to him in the first class seats. She was busy flipping through a shopping catalog muttering to herself how "mundane" or "unprofessional" most of the clothing looked with an air of pretentiousness about her. Her attention toward the enormous shopping book was so focused that Kayneth wasn't even sure she had even noticed his stares. Perhaps it was best he turned away and focused on something else lest his imagination run a bit too much.

A flight from London all the way to Fuyuki took a rather long time. As such, when the plane finished landing procedures even Kayneth was glad to step out of his chair and stretch for just a second, before he was rudely shoved by the lady behind him.

"We don't have all day you know."

Perhaps she was just grumpy from the tiring flight. With that judgement in his mind, he did his best to ignore her comment. He followed the rest of the passengers as they made their way out of the cramped plane and into the terminal before them.

As he followed behind the lady he couldn't help but reminisce about the events that led him here. When he had announced his final decision to enter into the Grail War she was the first to hear about it. But if there was one thing he had learnt from his time as her fiance it was that once Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri had made up her mind there was no changing it, and no amount of begging or pleading would make her say otherwise. Thus, with a heavy heart but a plan unfolding before him did Kayneth make the journey, this time making sure to keep his catalyst safe on his person at all times. He didn't dare take a second chance and risk losing another one.

As the two made their way through the bustling terminal, a few people dared to glance at his personage, but they all quickly averted their gazes the instant they felt the intense aura of nobility surrounding the two.

"Hmph, peasants…"

Though they were from out of the country their arrangements were all prepared for them, allowing them to skip most of the hustle and bustle the rest of the passengers had to go through. All he needed to do was show a simple ID and the man before him took care of the rest rushing them straight through the chaos.

"You there! Grab our bags and make it quick!"

She snapped at one of the two chauffeurs who had been following them on their journey. Though the man was even larger than Kayneth he couldn't help but shirk back at the extreme response Sola gave. With a small confirmation he rushed off to find the luggage silently praying in his head that there were no mistakes in the transfer.

The other chauffeur relaxed when the focus was turned away from him, yet that was soon gone as his hopes were dashed and the fiery women faced him next.

"Well? What are you doing standing around? Are you going to show us to our transportation or not!?"

Kayneth was impressed by how she managed to maintain such a vicegrip command on those peasants. It was their right after all to be treated as such, yet perhaps she was a bit too forceful in her methodology. Peasants, even ones such as these, needed to be treated well lest they attempted to retaliate.

"O-of course m-ma'am."

Not bothering to wait for the luggage they made their way through the lobby and out the front doors where they found a long black limousine growling next to the curb ready to take them to their intended destination.

The chauffeur who'd led them there relaxed as he saw that there were no complications in their travel plans. 'Just a little more.' He silently thought to himself as he opened the doors allowing the two nobles to climb inside.

They entered the vehicle and with a brief nod and shout the driver at the front confirmed their location for them. The Hyatt Hotel, a gorgeous building and one that Kayneth had spared no expense on using to his every benefit. With the entire top half of the building under his complete control he could use it however he wanted.

After their bags had been loaded, the car quickly pulled away leaving the two chauffeurs behind and giving the couple some time to themselves. However they were far different from any ordinary couple.

Though he was still fatigued from the flight he couldn't help but give off a small smirk even as he glanced at his fiance.

"My dear, the preparations are all but complete. We need only to finish the final ones ourselves and the war will be on its way."

On the other hand Sola looked as bored as ever. Ignoring Kayneth's attempts at small talk and only managing to utter a small "Of course." she glanced out of the windows with a long dejected sigh.

Perhaps the trip was harder on her then he had thought? That was the only conclusion Kayneth could reach. Out of concern for her well being he decided it was best to speak up yet again.

"My dear, is something bothering you? You seem to be bothered by something. If there's anything wrong, or anything I can do to help, please tell me."

Still not even bothering to turn and face him, she gave a short reply.

"No... Nothing is wrong, I'm just a little tired from the long trip, that's all."

Her mind seemed to be set in its place, and there was nothing Kayneth could think of to improve the situation. Perhaps it was best to wait until after they arrived.

With these thoughts in his head the car continued to make its way towards their hotel in silence. Kayneth buzzed with excitement, anticipating the events in the future battles ahead, while Sola found herself feeling nothing at all.

After some time had passed, the limousine pulled up to the curb right in front of an enormous building. This would become their residence and base of operations for the next few weeks.

The driver quickly exited the car and opened the door, allowing the two to step out onto the sidewalk. With perfect timing a nearby bellhop who'd been waiting for them quickly followed the driver to get their luggage.

It seemed as if everything was beginning to move along smoothly. Without stopping to check on the men, Kayneth and Sola made their way into the hotel lobby where yet another clerk stood by waiting to greet them.

After a quick confirmation of their identity and arrival, they made their way towards a VIP elevator and quickly stepped inside. The bellhop who had finally gathered the last of their luggage made a movement to follow them, but after a steely eyed glaze from Sola quickly changed his direction and headed towards the more crowded public elevators nearby.

Their destination was at the very top of the forty second floor, though nearly half the floors below them had also been cleared of people. Those floors would become the foundation for his fortress. For now they headed toward their main living arrangements.

They made the journey in silence, with Kayneth unable to think of anything to say. Sola continued to do her best to ignore him, only staring at the doors ahead.

Finally they arrived, with a single chime signalling their stop. The doors opened and they came face to face with the ornately decorated hallway that led them to their temporary home.

The bellhop was not far behind as a second elevator opened up alongside theirs. He quickly stepped out, his cart packed to the brim with bags upon bags. He led the way for them, skillfully opening the door while also dragging the cart along with him.

Once they made their way inside, Kayneth immediately began to look around. In his head he began planning just where his equipment would go. This was in addition to the boxes upon boxes of packed equipment that was already safely stashed in the room.

When the bellhop had finished his job he turned to face his employers, yet Sola only had harsh comments for his reward.

"A passable job, we have no need for any further assistance. You may leave now."

With a disappointed nod he quickly left the room empty handed, finally leaving the two of them alone.

When he was finished with his quick examination of the place Kayneth once more turned towards Sola, his excitement reaching its fullest capacity he spoke once more.

"This place seems suitable enough, perfectly fitting for ones such as ourselves. But I can't help but notice that you've seemed so tired during this long journey. Therefore I ask, my dear, why don't you rest until the evening? Leave the initial preparations to me."

Sola could only shrug in bitter approval as she disappeared into a different bedroom than his own. With this she made it perfectly clear that they would both be sleeping in different rooms. Though he felt a tinge of disappointment, Kayneth knew that this was for the best. They were only engaged after all; perhaps it was just a little too soon to think of such things.

After the door closed, Kayneth was left to himself in the large open living room. Though he was a bit tired from the journey there was still much to do and about only a week left to do it. So, with high spirits he set to work. A small tinge of regret lingered in the back of his head about the minor mistakes he had made up until this point.

The loss of his original catalyst, no matter how much he tried to put that thought to rest, continued to haunt him. That small reddish patch of cloth, for causing him so much trouble up until now, he would make sure his pupil was taught a painful lesson.

It was only thanks to the vast web of associates and other magi with a taste for artifacts that he was able to acquire a second catalyst so quickly. Once more he felt the small package contained inside his coat pocket alongside various other pieces of equipment.

"Waver Velvet... I shall teach him the error of his ways. Oh yes, by this war's end, I will show him what happens to someone who dares cross an Archibald. But, enough of that…"

He glanced at the cluttered room yet again. Along the walls were various crates and other containers all shipped beforehand and made just for him. If anyone else had tried to open them not only would he instantly be alerted due to a small sigil placed inside each and every box, but said person would also be in for a very unpleasant shock.

Walking over to the nearest crate he held his gloved hand out and muttered the pass phrase meant to deactivate the trap inside. With a small click he unhooked the pin keeping the container shut before opening it, revealing the well kept devices inside.

This particular crate happened to hold various liquids of different colors and compositions. They were useful for creating different types of potions and for enchanting items.

Setting that particular crate aside he moved on to the next one and slowly began to get to work on creating the finest magical lair this city had ever seen, and with only seven days to do so.

Eventually the fruits of his labors were beginning to be made clear. The rows of boxes were unpacked and laid out onto various tables surrounding the room. It was beginning to more closely resemble his laboratory back in England. And seeing as how he still had a few hours before night fell Kayneth decided that now was a good time to focus on something else.

He wasn't the only one entering into this war after all. From what he remembered there would be six other participants. The three families that were the main focus would almost assuredly be taking part yet again, so that left three completely unknown factors. All of this combined could put him in a dangerous situation if he was not careful. As a man of knowledge, he needed to look into any and all possible outcomes..

Finishing the construction of his base could wait just a little longer. For now it was time to delve deeper into the minds of his foes. With this plan now in his head he decided it best to call in a little outside help. Taking a small silver vial from within a coat pocket he poured the liquid onto the ground while simultaneously uttering an incantation.

"_Automatoportum communicet: manibus spiritualis evocationis remedio, nine caput, Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi."_

The circuits in his arms began to glow with a soft yellow light as the liquid hit the ground. The liquid transformed into a sphere with the size and shape of a crystal ball. It then rose up into the air directly in front of Kayneth. Holding one of his open palms towards the ball while also holding his other hand at his mouth, he began to speak.

"_Nuntius satus: Information request, Heavens Feel; Fuyuki Japan, 1800 to 1994: nuntium ad finem."_

It was a request for information in regards to the Grail War and its participants both old and current. 'That should suffice for now.'

Satisfied that he had requested enough information he allowed the sphere to move towards a nearby table where a thick stack of paper was located. Once the ball had reached its destination it completely covered the papers and began to imprint words upon words on them. This was a method of long distance communication specific to Kayneth's own talents. With it he could receive and give messages to anyone he needed to communicate with.

It would take time to get all the information 'printed' out. As such, Kayneth went into the kitchen and began to brew one of his favorite brews of tea.

The sun began to fall as night came forth through the large windows. The request for information was reaching its completion, though Kayneth couldn't help but be disappointed with the results. There was almost nothing new from what he had already previously known about the war. The details on how a Servant is summoned, the War between Masters and Servants, the three families, they were all things of which he had been aware. There was almost no documentation on the wars themselves..

If anything, the only new information he was able to gain was about the few Masters that could already be confirmed. Though the names were familiar he would have to take a more in depth look at the papers later and perhaps contact more people for more information regarding them and their talents.

It had also just occurred to him that Sola was still hiding out in her room. Perhaps a good night's sleep really was what she needed. For now at least he would not disturb her.

Kayneth worked quickly with his various tools and contacts over the next few days. When Sola finally emerged from her room, Kayneth also made sure to quickly set her to work on constructing the tools and other mechanisms that would cover every inch of these top floors.

He made sure she knew what she was doing by sharing with her some blueprints as well as directly showing her whenever he had the time. Though she remained rather snarky throughout the days she obeyed with little trouble and as such after three days had passed Kayneth could once more sit down to analyze all of the new data he had collected.

Though it was still lacking, there was a lot more to go through than on the first day. Finding exactly just who to talk to was quite a challenge even for Kayneth, but he believed that he had finally gained an acceptable amount of information.

Taking a seat in one of the more comfortable chairs he took a sip out of his freshly brewed tea allowing the bitterness to flow through his mouth.

"I'll be gone for a while, I'm going shopping."

With most of her tasks finished for the day, Sola excused herself from the room allowing Kayneth to read in peace.

Most of what he saw were again things he already knew, he knew that no Grail had ever been wished upon, due to unforeseen complications. The war before this, the third, seemed to have been particularly messy with, Einzbern taking on more than they could chew. Though the exact results of this were unclear, it was something that was definitely worth remembering.

What allowed this ritual to function properly were multiple factors, the Greater and Lesser Grails, and the ley lines that stretched throughout the city almost like a giant spiderweb. The Greater Grail, the main device that performed most of the complex work that no Master could accomplish, had to lie near one of these ley lines. The Lesser Grail was produced by the Einzbern every war. After all the Servants were defeated, one could use this Lesser Grail to grant them any one wish they desire. A simple enough concept but Kayneth doubted it would be so easy. And those leylines, perhaps they could be of some use.

As for the current participants, he knew of five out of six, Tokiomi Tohsaka, Zouken Matou, Kiritsugu Emiya; these were the three main factors he needed to watch out for. They were most certainly entering in some fashion as representatives of the three main families.

Zouken in particular seemed to be the most worthy of the three as there had been reports of him in almost every single war. His family almost bore as much fame as the Archibald name yet it was such a shame that he relocated to such a backwater country.

Tokiomi was the second largest threat, from what Kayneth could gather he seemed to be the embodiment of a perfect magus. He always kept to the book, and despite his Japanese lineage had manage to make quite a name for himself. Definitely an exciting foe to match.

And then there was Kiritsugu, the magus killer. A gun for hire with no real lineage to call his own. Why the Einzbern hired him was anyone's guess. Perhaps they had finally gone mad from failure after failure to reclaim their lost Third Magic. He was of no interest to anyone and would be an easy foe. However if the reports were true, a second homunculus related to the Einzbern might also appear, that would be far more interesting than anything this Kiritsugu could show off. That was certain. Yet, he would need to be watched as it was said that he preferred to rely on non magical technology.

That left three others, Kirei Kotomine, Waver Velvet, and the unknown factor who would most likely appear just to fill that last slot.

Kirei Kotomine, a man who just recently entered the realm of magical study yet if the reports were true his talents were immense even with no history to his name. Not to mention being trained under Tokiomi. Though they recently had a falling out, which seemed almost too good to be true. Kayneth considered him the third greatest threat to this war.

And Waver… Waver Velvet, a former pupil under Kayneth and a thief of his artifact. Nothing more than a thief and a liar, He was definitely the weakest Master in this war, even despite the high-quality catalyst he had plundered. That one, who managed to in so many battles despite the odds was probably not one to be controlled easily. Waver's Servant would most likely destroy him before anything else did.

There was also the unknown factor, a wasted slot that needed to be filled as per the quota. It was probably nothing to worry about.

These were the participants for the war. Quite an interesting batch, yet nothing out of Kayneth's control. One by one he'd weaken them until they were no more. Then his victory would be certain!

Over the next five days Kayneth continued his work perfecting the defenses surrounding him. And then, on the fifth night, seven days after he had arrived, the time was finally nearing. As night fell upon the city once more, he carefully began to lay the summoning circle out before him using a concentrated batch of magical mercury. As he drew, he went through a series of mental checks making sure to keep track of all the results of his hard work.

He had spent far too much time on information gathering, because of this an array of equipment lay in the corner of the room still boxed and untouched as neither Kayneth or Sola had the time to reach it. Yet the multiple bounded fields reached straight down for another twenty three floors. They included different effects such as detection and mental boundaries meant to confuse the mind and throw them into disarray. There we also other bounded fields though they lay dormant for the time being, only to be activated in a time of crises.

Twelve floors down a grand steel engine roared with life as it constantly produced the magical energy needed to maintain such an enormous fortress, along with that were ten demonic spirits summoned over the last few days, they wandered the empty hallways and awaited their master's call. Should he ever need help with anything, he need only call and they would answer.

Along with these, were layer upon layer of traps, each deadlier than the last. Should anyone dare attempt a raid on his fortress they would meet the full force of his contraptions.

Yet this was not all that Kayneth had produced. Next to the summoning circle, a strange metal apparatus stood unmoving but released trace amounts of magical energy through the roof and into the sky above.

This device created recently by Kayneth tapped into the very leylines that surrounded the city and stayed on constantly. Whenever a large amount of magical energy that required prana from the outside air was used this device would trigger keeping a record of that spell and giving an estimate towards the the spell's location. This meant that if someone were to summon a Servant, for instance, then Kayneth would be able to record and react to the summoning before the Master would even get a chance to move.

"Are you finished yet? Surely this ritual isn't that hard to reproduce."

"Please be patient just a little longer, I am nearly done."

Sola who was standing in a corner of the room was beginning to get impatient . Though this was just the least of her constantly sour mood. Finally, he stood back and began to admire his work, the complex circle glowed in silver, not a single mark was out of place, it was time to begin.

"Well then?"

"Yes, it is done. If you would be so kind, could you stand there, my dear?"

Pointing towards his side Sola hesitantly walked up to him and stood there, being careful not to get too close.

Normally a Servant is limited to one Master who held both the Command Seals and the supply of magical energy, but Kayneth a prodigy in the field of magical summoning had noticed a loophole of sorts in the chant.

During set points in the ritual optional words could be added to it, normally this allowed a Master to specify whether or not they wished to summon an Assassin or a Berserker but in Kayneth's case he found a far more interesting use for it which he was about to demonstrate.

"_Set. Set. Set. Set."_

Taking his ungloved hand he held it out so that his palm faced the magical circle. A bruise could be clearly seen forming on his hand.

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_"Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade."_

With his other hand he took hold of Sola's stiffened hand. Though she was clearly uncomfortable with the situation she tolerated it for the moment.

_"If thou submitteth to the call of the Holy Grail, and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond."_

The circle began to glow even brighter than before, the magical energy within it sparked as a connection began to form with something.

"_I make my oath here. I am that person who is to become the virtue of all Heaven. I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades."_

Now was the time to add the extra lines, as Kayneth glanced at the small piece of metal laying in the center of the circle. With just this tiny catalyst a being from another realm, something far stronger than any modern human being could be summoned, and with Kayneth's supreme skill he would bind it to his every whim.

"_Sto ad infinitum ab auxilio aetatis."_

The tug of magical energy that was beginning to fill his body vanished. In its place the grip on his fiances hand tightened as she began to take on the entire strain. The entire room began to rumble as the ritual reached its apex.

"_Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words, come past they restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance!"_

His entire vision was filled with white as the ritual completed. Yet that light quickly vanished and in its place stood a man in the center of the circle. His eyes glowed a gentle yellow with a small strand of hair falling over his face. He was undoubtable beautiful even in Kayneth's eyes.

"In accordance with the summons, I have come. I ask of thee, are you my Master?"


	2. Chapter 1 - The Nobleman's Genius

Everything was going as expected, there were no hitches in the summoning. The connection his fiance was now sharing with his new Servant was flawless in its execution. Yes, there was nothing wrong with the ritual itself, so why couldn't he help but feel that something was off?

"You are Saber, are you not? As your Master I demand that you reveal to me your twin swords Móralltach and Beagalltach, we will need them in the battles to come."

The knightly Servant standing before him bore a troubled expression, as the red and yellow barbed lances he held showed that he was a Lancer rather than the Saber-class servant Kayneth had been hoping for. A fact the man confirmed just a few short moments later.

"My apologies milord, we have barely even met and already it seems as if I have shamed you. As you can see by my twin spears I am a Lancer and not a Saber."

The knight bowed his head so low it seemed as if he might fall over from the weight of his first failure. If left alone it was likely he would stay that way for all eternity.

Feeling the rising tension in the air Sola hoped to calm things down.

"That's enough, now Kayneth are you not happy that you summoned a knight regardless? Why does it matter if you summoned Saber or Lancer? As long as they give the appropriate results then any class is acceptable."

Before Kayneth could respond to Sola's claims a small silver bell began to ring madly. The tension that had begun to rise faded as Kayneth changed his interest from his newly summoned Servant to the magical device that burst to life.

"Oh? It appears that I was not the only one with the idea to complete their summoning tonight."

When the ringing had finally stopped a map that was lying next to the bell began to sizzle as five unique burn marks were now etched into the aged paper.

Sola who had finally managed to halt her observations of the nearly summoned Servant also walked over to see just what was going on.

"More Servant summonings? Already?"

The five locations differed in their origins but they all took place inside the cities boundaries with a single exception that burned itself into a small box labeled 'Outside the city'. The others were near the Ryuudou temple, inside the Tohsaka estate, inside the Matou estate, and on the other side of the river near Kayneth's own location.

Kayneth as a magus was always testing out new tools and magical apparatuses and this unique device was no exception. It was a magical sensor one that monitored the changes in any of the cities' major ley lines.

Because a ritual like the summoning of a Servant requires such a great deal of magical energy if certain tools were placed along these connections they would be able to alert the magus where and when the ritual took place.

The magical buoys had already been put into place by one of Kayneth's pupils weeks ago. With the sensors in place all Kayneth had to do was sit there and wait for the other Masters to complete their own summonings.

He could sit back in luxury while still being alerted the minute one of the other Masters summoned. It was through tools such as these that Kayneth would show the competition just who they were now dealing with.

While he had expected the summonings to be close together to have them all at nearly the same time was an unprecedented event that had never happened at least according to the ancient records of the past Grail Wars.

With a mix of curiosity and impatience Lancer walked over to where Kayneth and Sola stood and spoke up out of concern for the two.

"Master? Is something the matter?"

Without turning to face his Servant, Kayneth nonchalantly continued to study the map and the symbols that now dotted the various locations.

"Lancer, it appears the time for greetings will be cut short, we have business we must prepare for. The others have already begun to move and we will be ready when they do." Kayneth had quickly adopted to using Lancer as his Servant's name, by doing so he would be able to keep his Servant's identity a secret.

The Magus' mind was already working at full capacity, and in mere moments he had quickly deduced that Tohsaka, Matou, Einzbern, and of course himself were four of the five summonings recorded.

He and the two major families were obviously summoning in their own bases while the Einzbern were likely the summoners outside of the city. That left the single summoning near the Ryuudou Temple that was likely one of the outlier Masters and thus likely to be unimportant to the war itself.

A silver glow flashed through his eyes as Kayneth commanded the familiars he had placed around the city directing them towards the direction of the fifth summoning. Even if the Master and Servant had left the location if there was any remnants of the summoning Kayneth would likely be able to figure out who had performed and maybe even which Servant it was.

With his plans in already in motion there was time to relax and get a good night's sleep. By the time he woke up tomorrow his familiars will have gathered the necessary information and he would be all the more knowledgeable compared to his counterparts.

Turning away from the device he wished his fiance a good night and headed towards his room. His Servant had already begun to show the quiet obedience that Kayneth expected as Lancer quietly dematerialized and began to guard Kayneth's every move.

Tomorrow he would prepare to move, and in a few days time he would make sure the name of El-Melloi was known throughout the land as name that demanded respect.

He would wait for the enemy Servants to meander around the city blindly running from place to lowly place and when they least expected it he would crush them beneath his foot. After all, it was likely most of the contenders were not suited to fighting a magus war like this, so it was all the better to finish them off quickly, right?

* * *

When he awoke the following day Kayneth was pleased to see that his familiars had easily gathered quite a lot of information. After he finished his morning rituals he prepared a cup of morning tea and set to work analyzing the data.

The ritual that had taken place near Ryuudou was crudely constructed and lacked the finesse of any of the major magi families. It appeared that the materials used to created the circle itself were also crude, with the chicken carcasses proof of the magus' novice like actions.

The more hastily constructed the ritual the more likely it is to fail yet from the emergence of a second much heavier pair of feet it appeared that this magus' was indeed able to finish his summoning though there was still not enough evidence as to who it might be.

But perhaps the most concerning amongst the evidence was the way the circle was drawn. Like handwriting magi tended to leave their own little quirks and qualities in their work even if they didn't realize it. This was something was well suited to picking up due to the many students he often taught.

And he just so happened to recognize this magus' work all too well.

"So, he really dares to go against me..." Even with the stolen catalyst Kayneth still had doubts that Waver Velvet would actually stand against him. That student was only a lowly three line magus' comparing that to Kayneth's own rich history was hardly even a contest.

It would be suicide to think that Waver could stand even an ounce of a chance against his Teacher. But the evidence did not lie, since Waver had entered the war the two of them were now destined to cross paths eventually, and when they did…

"I will show him the error of his ways. He will be taught just what it means to cross a Lord of the clock tower." A small smirk of silent anger and joy gleamed across the noble's face as he pondered the various methods he would use to 'teach' that boy what he had done wrong.

Lancer noticing the change in his Master's aura and the hate-filled grin began to wonder if something was wrong.

"Are you alright Master? You seem to be troubled by something, is there anything I can do to help?"

Having his wild imagination interrupted annoyed Kayneth. With an irked tone he aimed to shut down any worries his Servant might have right then and there.

"Lancer, you are a Servant and I the Master do not concern yourself with matters unrelated to fighting the others. As a guard dog you will speak only when spoken to, I will have obedience do you understand? I will handle any matters unrelated to your victory in battles." It was best that lines between them were drawn out clearly so as to prevent any future missteps from occurring.

"As you wish." His faithful Servant replied. He was not offended in the slightest at Kayneth's brash way of speaking. After all, he only wished to serve his lord as best he could until the very end.

With his conversation with his Servant out of the way Kayneth returned to his previous mindset. Would it best to get rid of his 'pupil' first? That way he would be able to focus on the larger threats later on. It was certainly an enticing offer, and one that would solidify his position as a threat without painting a large target on his back.

It would allow him to kill birds with one stone he thought to himself.

Perhaps the offer was too good to be true, but Kayneth couldn't resist. Yes, his pupil would come first, the other Masters were likely still preparing things, by going after the weakest first before they were ready he could more easily bring this war to its conclusion all the sooner.

* * *

The day continued peacefully as Kayneth continued to tinker with his various tools most of which he hoped to try out in some way, shape, or form during this war. Making tiny adjustments so that they would be more compatible with the foreign air he continued to stay busy as the day passed him by.

Eventually dusk was beginning to emerge, the night would soon be upon them. Though he had no immediate plans to act just yet it didn't hurt to be prepared in case the others had different ideas. With a loud commanding voice he called for Lancer who quickly materialized directly by his side.

"Yes Master? What I can do to serve?" With a puzzled expression Lancer tilted his head and awaited his Master's command.

"Show me the twin spears that you carry, Gáe Buidhe and Gáe Dearg, I wish to examine them." With an almost uninterested tone Kayneth held out his hand to receive the spears.

"As you wish my Master." Perhaps out of concern for his Master, Lancer first materialized the smaller yellow spear and gently handed it over.

A feminine chuckle echoed throughout the room as Sola who had just entered the room watched Kayneth struggle to hold the yellow gleaming lance.

Shooting an annoyed glare at both his Servant and fiance Kayneth did his best to focus on the current task observing the purple cloth that covered the lance. It was a specially designed cloth one that could hide the abilities and true nature of anything wrapped around it, something that Kayneth had taken notice of the previous night.

"These pieces of cloth will keep your Noble Phantasms hidden for as long as they are concealed correct?"

Lancer replied confidently, he was finally glad that one of the tools he had brought to his Master could be of use. "Yes Master, as long as my spears bear this cloth then they will be nearly undetectable."

"Good, we will be using these in future battles, by using such a simple deceptive trick we will able to take out the stronger Servants with ease."

Sola was unamused by the trick, with an annoyed tone of her own she interrupted the two of them during their inspection of the spear.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Her harsh tone cause Kayneth to freeze in his motions. "I thought you wanted an 'honorable' battle. This does not sound very 'honorable' to me."

Kayneth's face scrunched up in confusion, why would she question his methods? He was the one in charge here. Not only was he of higher rank but his knowledge of his opponents was far greater than hers, surely that was enough? "But of course it is. It is a magus' duty to use all the tools at his disposal, and Lancer and his bag of tricks is just another tool for the fight."

Seeing that his mind was already set Sola hoped Lancer might be able to answer her in a more positive manner.

"What about you Lancer? Surely you disagree with these underhanded methods? You are a knight are you not?"

Lancer however, was also set in his ways. He was not about to budge, the orders from his Masters were absolute after all.

"I follow my Master's command, if he orders it of me I shall agree to the task with every fiber of my being." He made sure from the tone of his voice that it was perfectly clear he was nothing more than a Servant. Should his Master require it he would go so far as to die for him without a second thought.

"Hmph, suit yourself." Perhaps pouting due to neither man agreeing with her she resumed her silence once more while occasionally glancing over to Lancer much to Kayneth's chagrin.

Though he had trouble believing it himself Kayneth started to think he might be jealous of Sola's actions though as to why he was not yet sure. For now he would continue to observe her interactions with his Servant, if something seemed like it might become trouble he could simply deal with it then.

In his own way Lancer hoped to aid his Master by changing the topic to a more important issue.

"Master, if you don't mind me asking... Why do you fight? In order to properly serve I believe it would be best to know just what my Lord is trying to accomplish."

His ploy had proven to be successful, thrown onto a new topic Kayneth turned his attention back to his Servant.

"It is none of your concern Lancer, however, I enjoy amusing my subjects so I shall tell you. I fight so that I may honor my name. There is no greater glory than honoring one's name after all. You are a knight aren't you? Surely you know that the family name is more important than anything else?" It was a train of thought that gave Kayneth much thought.

Was staring into the eyes of his Servant? Or was he looking through his Servant towards something far deeper? Lancer was having trouble figuring it out, but he knew one thing, whoever his Master really was, his eyes were the kind of eyes that bore the history of something ancient, powerful, and respected throughout the land.

"Surely Master you have a deeper reason than that?"

"But of course not! To have anything more would be foolish! This conversation has gone on long enough and I tire of your endless prattling." Was Kayneth deluding himself? He believed himself to be on the proper track, but something about Lancer's words couldn't help but etch their way into the back of his mind.

Taking a deep breath Kayneth immediately cleansed his mind of any impure thoughts, but before anyone else could speak up a warning signal flashed through his mind.

The familiar that had been keeping an eye on the Tohsaka estate signalled that a Servant had been spotted on the premise. A Servant in gold had confronted another Servant with a skull shaped mask likely to be the Assassin class Servant.

However it could hardly be called a battle. Before the Assassin could even make a move he was skewered by countless weapons, his body was shredded and his limbs turned to dust as he faded away. The golden Servant seeing his job complete vanished into the night once more.

Kayneth turned to his Servant and mentally shared his vision with Lancer showing him a vision of what had just occured while also talking about the new events of the night.

"It appears that Assassin has made the first move. A failure on his Master's part to properly judge his opponent no less. The Master's haste has proven to be his Servant's downfall."

Regardless it was a welcome sight in Kayneth's eyes to see an enemy Servant's death. After all, the faster they were killed the sooner he could be finished with this affair.

And like icing on a cake he managed to get a glimpse at what was likely Tokiomi Tohsaka's Servant. With a glimmer in his eyes he was able to receive a few key facts regarding the Golden Servant.

"It appears Tokiomi has quite the interesting Servant, he will need to be dealt with eventually but for now the strength he has just shown will prove to be his downfall. It is likely that Tokiomi has just painted a huge target on his Servant as a threat that must be dealt with. For now there is no need to act tonight"

Kayneth was also unconcerned about the rain of weapons the Golden Servant could launch, rather he saw it as a clue to that Servant's identity. Every Servant has their weaknesses, once their name was revealed it was simply manipulating them into the same traps that caused their death in the first place.

"Lancer take note of what has transpired this night, use the knowledge I have shared with you to aid you in the future." After making sure that his Servant understood the importance of just what had happened the fatigue from today's work began to finally catch up to him.

With a wave of his hand that he was done for the night Kayneth once again left for his room.

* * *

It had been two days since the war had begun and already one Servant was dead. Things were going just as Kayneth planned, so well in fact that he decided there was no need to change his current course of actions.

His fiance was busying herself with shopping while Lancer remained quiet but on guard and dematerialized at all times. It was truly an ordinary day even for something like the Holy Grail War.

As such Kayneth decided it was an excellent time to tinker with his tools just a little bit further, in one of the dimly lit side rooms Kayneth summoned forth from its test tube the apex of his research the Volumen Hydrargyrum and called for his Servant.

Like a dog who sprung up upon being called Lancer appeared.

"What is it my Master? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, today we are going to practice with my tools. You as a Servant will push my mystic code to its limits…"

His eyes closed as he focused on controlling the various oddities of his mystic code, Kayneth ordered for his Servant to stand on the other side of the room while he changed the mercury into a wall. He then ordered for Lancer to punch through it with all his might.

By gauging the strength of his Servant's might and speed Kayneth began to tune his mystic code so that it wou'd more accurately be able to respond to a Servant's attacks.

Servants were beings that surpassed humans in almost every way as such there was little chance that Kayneth could match one of them head on. But by using tricks and traps such as the ones he had laid out around the hotel he would be able defeat the Servants regardless of their physical strength.

As Kayneth had expected the punch strong to create its own sonicboom easily pierced the liquid mercury, and before it could even react to being burst the hand had already left. It would be quite some time before his mercury could truly take on a Servant, in fact Kayneth was starting to doubt that it would be ready within span of the war. But it mattered little, even if he was unable to get it ready now it would surely be useful in the future.

As the hours passed Kayneth continued attuning his mystic codes to the nature of his Servant until eventually night once again began to fall. Taking a break with a quiet finely made cup of tea he made small talk to his fiance who was also enjoying the break with a disgruntled expression.

It was a peaceful night, and one that was about to be cut short as another warning signal flashed through Kayneth's mind.

"Another Servant has been spotted with their Master… Two of them in fact. One appears to be with an Einzbern homunculus while the other… Velvet…"

He knew that so long as both of them continued to participate in the war but he never expected it to happen this early. Though he was initially sidetracked his mind began to spring into gear once more.

Sola spoke up after noticing the change in Kayneth's mood.

"Are you going to intercept them?"

At first Kayneth considered going after the Einzbern pair first, but something changed his mind. Remembering how much effort it took to get that small red piece of cloth in the first place put Kayneth in a sour mood. Perhaps then it was best that he got rid of that nuisance first over the Einzbern.

"Yes, Lancer come with me at once! We are about to ambush a former pupil of mine and his Servant."

It was time, the war was finally about to begin, and Kayneth would prove his superiority by throwing his student beneath his feet without a second thought!


	3. Chapter 2 - The Teacher and the Student

Night had fallen and the once bustling city was quickly becoming a ghost town. It was a time when most residents had turned in for the night, a time to relax and prepare for the next day or a time to cower from those things that stalk the night. But for Kayneth it was a time for action.

Leaving the nearly desolate lobby he greeted the doorman with a simple nod of recognition before strolling out to the darkened streets below where hardly a soul could be seen.

His Servant was quietly guarding his every move. Even while dematerialized, Lancer would be able to react immediately to any sign of danger. It was a welcome sense of security, and when coupled together with Kayneth's own concealment charms he was easily able to hide from any prying eyes. This allowed him to focus on other things such as the conversation he had just had with his fiance right before leaving the hotel.

He had just put on his thick silver lined coat and had been getting ready to leave when Sola came out of her room and trotted over to him. The look of concern on her face was something that while unexpected was still something Kayneth was secretly glad to see. At least until he realized that it wasn't directed towards himself.

While she was still walking up to Kayneth she would occasionally sneak glances towards Lancer anytime she thought he wasn't looking, something that was starting to grate on his nerves.

Perhaps it was about time to establish that this was a war, one that he was carrying out for both their sakes. This meant that despite any petty concerns she might have towards the fighters in this war they were unimportant in the grand scheme of things. So long as they granted Kayneth and her victory any of their deaths and injuries would be excused.

"Sola I want you to stay at home. This is a battle I must face, along with _my_ Servant."

"Do you really think it is best to go alone with just your Servant? If something were to happen to Lancer you would be all by yourself. Is that something you can really handle? And what of your family's crest, if something were to happen to it and you were to lose its precious knowledge, would you be able to live with that?" Her snide tone and words dripping with a lack of faith, stung him deeply.

"Do you doubt my abilities? Do you truly believe I cannot handle a mere handful of peasants?" His tone had begun to sound overly harsh and he knew it but he was beginning to find that he had trouble controlling his emotions when it came to Sola. Indeed, as his words brought a look of slight shock to his fiancée's face, he felt a twinge of regret for what he had said.

But it was too late to take back what he'd said, too late to turn back. So before Sola could respond, he turned away from her and spoke to his dematerialized Servant.

"Lancer we are going. _Now_."

He refused to turn around again, in part because he was afraid of what expression might be found on her face, but more because he feared what might be shown on his own.

*********Interlude Start***********

On the other side of the Fuyuki Bridge, two figures were moving quickly through the streets near one of the residential districts, making sure to avoid the light whenever possible.

The first was a small man whose facial features and jet black hair could almost be described as feminine. Wearing a green uniform his expressions constantly changed between panic, worry, and fear, cycling through them in a seemingly never ending pattern.

His partner, on the other hand, an imposing figure who towered over him, with the color of blood all over his head, his face, and chest, radiated a sense of absolute confidence. But then, he had every reason to be, as his ensemble of an elaborate red coat adorned with various leather belts, skin tight white trousers, sturdy black leather boots, and a red triangular hat marked him as a Servant who in life had been a man of the sea, a master and commander who had braved many battles and weathered many a storm.

The giant glowed with satisfaction, howling with laughter as if he was having the time of his life avoiding the slowly moving police cars that would occasionally pass them by.

"Yeh see Master! Robbin' a bank's a load o' fun! The explosions! The smell of dust and debris! The rush as yeh charge! The sight of the guards runnin' fo' their lives! And best of all, the money!"

Despite his deep growling voice and thick accent the Servant was acting as if he was a child who had just gotten his first taste of sugar.

"**You idiot!** You think someone isn't going to notice this!? We're lucky that the police haven't caught onto us yet! Or worse, another Master…"

His words couldn't have rung more true, for at that exact moment the air around the two of them began to shake and freeze. It was a magical barrier, one designed to conceal the presences of anyone caught. Quickly surrounding the pair and the nearby area around them the boy nearly shrieked in surprise.

"Oh no…" his voice wavered, shaking nearly as much as his legs were. No, now was not a good time for a fight, especially not with half the city's police force out looking for him and his Servant.

Right on cue Lancer appeared before them, holding his dual spears ready he offered them a challenging smirk as he stared right at the boy's Servant.

"Rider, I presume? My Master has told me many things about you, so I've been hoping to meet you. Would you care for a battle? A contest between the two Servants that were of a high enough standard to please the nobleman of the clocktower?"

Confused, the Servant that had been called Rider raised his eyebrow and spoke in his usual gruff uncaring tone.

"Ello laddie! It seems yeh already know who I am, excellent! That just means we can git to the fightin' all the faster! I have no idea who this 'ere noble clocktower fello' is but if it's a fight yeh want it's a fight yeh'll git! Master why don't yeh sit back and watch me work. Get ready to be amazed, for I, yer humble Servant will be fightin' with all me strength! Har har har!"

Ignoring his panicking Master who only wanted to escape, Rider whipped out a pair of ancient looking pistols and took aim at Lancer. With a howling laugh he charged, guns blazing along with the flash of gunpowder and the smell of sulfur.

So focused was he on the prospect of a battle with Lancer that he failed to notice the enemy Master emerging from the shadows.

*********Interlude End***********

The call of battle was nigh irresistible for Lancer, a familiar rush of blood and adrenaline singing through his veins as his enemy charged.

This opponent was special, after all, as Rider had been his Master's first pick. Any chance to best him, to prove his worth to his Master - and to show he was not inferior, was welcomed.

A volley of flaming bullets flew towards him, targeted at his vitals, but Lancer refused to back down. With spears held high he charged the bullets head on. Though every single shot was faster than sound itself he too was fast. Using his Servant speed he would be able to counter every single one.

Dodging the first few shots he parried the rest of them with his spears.

As a Lancer, he received agility of the highest class, he truly believed that there were only a few Servants in the entire world who could match him in speed. Especially with the powers he received from his Master.

When the dust settled, not a single shot had hit their mark. The bullets had all been repelled or avoided with Lancer left unscathed, though the area around him had not been so fortunate. Enormous craters were gouged into the earth where the bullets had struck, and huge chunks of siding and wood had been blasted from the buildings lining the street.

"Is that the best you can do, Servant Rider? Is it really wise to approach me head on like this? You seem more fitted to attack from far away where you can be at a distance with your guns."

"Youngin, yeh best be ready!" Completely ignoring Lancer's sound advice Rider continued his charge, pressing forward to engage the enemy at point blank range. Yet the instant he locked his pistols with spears his faults began to ring true.

Try as he might to get a kill shot he continued to fail. The muzzles of his wood and gold pistols were cleanly knocked away by the red and yellow spears before he could land a decent shot.

Whenever Rider attempted to get a direct shot at Lancer his guns were deflected, his bullets when they fired flew meaninglessly off into the air. It was clear that Rider's attacks were easily being repelled - and for good reason. Even in a battle between normal humans once a gunman came within melee range, he was at a clear disadvantage to a skilled combatant armed with blade or staff - or spear.

This was even more so the rule with Servants and their superhuman speed. Lancer could easily avoid any attempt to target him by ensuring was never standing directly before his foe's guns. And because he didn't have to worry at all about the danger of a blade he could focus more attention towards other things.

To make matters even worse for Rider his stats were clearly at a disadvantage compared to Lancer. Lancer's Strength, Agility, Magic, were all of far higher grade than Rider's own. Though the two were tied in Endurance, Lancer's skills and prowess in close quarters combat were abilities Rider could never hope to match.

Now that Lancer believed himself to have fully gauged Rider's fighting capability it was time for him to turn the tables. With a single swing of his crimson spear, Lancer knocked his foe completely off guard throwing him backwards and stumbling his footing. He was completely open to an attack from the followup attack of Gae Dearg. But before it could even pierce his coat Rider had already stepped out of the way despite his stunned position.

It should have been an impossible movement for Rider to get out of the way while still recovering from Lancer's debilitating strike. That attack was something that Lancer was rather sure of in its reliability. Yet it was exactly what Rider was waiting for.

"So it is true, a Servant who can shape the world possesses a unique ability, one greater than most, the ability to defy fate more strongly than anyone else. A Pioneer of the Stars and a shaper of mankind itself, that is your unique ability, isn't it Rider?"

It was true that Lancer had an edge in almost every skill and ability compared to Rider. Even still there was one thing Rider had that Lancer could never hope to match, Luck.

"Hey, yer pretty good!" Rider's expression never wavered, no matter how dire the situation was, he continued to live it to the fullest. It didn't matter who the opponent was. So long as they were entertaining, Rider was happy to be there.

The sounds of laughter continued as Lancer pressed his attack more seriously than before, with a thrust aimed at the throat followed by three slashes to the limbs and a fourth to the heart. Yet none of them hit. Rider's movements were neither as experienced nor as quick as Lancer's, yet whenever a fatal attack was launched, Rider was simply not there to be struck.

It was like trying to attack water: no matter how much one hacked and slashed at it, it would always adjust itself around those attacks.

Another attempted shot was deflected, crashing into the ruins of a nearby wall as Rider's pistol was once again knocked back by Lancer's spear..

"I see... As expected of the once great admiral. Though you do not fight with skill or precision like myself you are still able to hold your own against me. It is by no means an accident you were able to hold your own against overwhelming numbers."

Yet before Lancer could manipulate another opening he was forced back by a volley of bullets. Opening the distance between the two, Rider stood proud against Lancer.

"Why thank yeh! It's really somethin' special ain't it!"

Aiming his pistols once more, Rider fired. compared to the experienced swordsmen Lancer was used to facing, Rider was extremely hard to predict. His movements could go in any direction almost like a wild animal. And it was something Lancer had a great amount of trouble dealing with.

However, despite Rider's flamboyant fighting style it would matter little in the grand scheme of things. So long as Rider was fighting him their plan was succeeding. His orders from his Master were to "Keep Rider busy for as long as it takes for me to deal with the Master." So, as Rider continued to ravage the surrounding residential area with wave after wave of useless volleys that missed their marks. Lancer was content with only using a fraction of his power.

* * *

As the Servants began to engage each other, another barrier designed to hide sound was cast around the panicked Master as Kayneth walked into view.

"Waver Velvet! I have been most eager to meet you once more! I applaud your eagerness to prove yourself and as such I believe the time is right for me to give you a 'lesson' in what it means to be a proper magus!"

With his hands gently resting behind his back, Kayneth smirked as he eagerly stepped into the fray. His Servant would keep the other Servant busy while he dealt with Waver, allowing him to deal with his wayward 'student'.

A moment of silence passed between the two magi as Kayneth patiently awaited Waver's response. He felt amused as he saw the youth's initial panic settle into a sense of fear mingled with rage

"K-k-kayneth… I must have really dealt a number to you i-if you're going to show yourself this early."

Though his voice was quivering at the mere sight of his former teacher the bitterness in his words was enough for him to keep from running away. Though perhaps that was simply because he had realized that running was pointless. Kayneth was faster, stronger, and more magically capable than Waver. Without any advantage whatsoever, there was no way he would be able to escape.

"Such an inexperienced and undignified response is fitting of one of such low standing. Well then, if you are eager to show me your newfound talents I will be glad to oblige. Allow me to give you a crash course in what it means to be a magus, free of charge, of course."

His smirk grew into more of a sneer as he stretched his white leather gloves tight across his hands.

"R-r-really? The only lesson you could ever give is that of a snobbish nobleman who doesn't care for a-anyone! I had to find that out the hard way!"

Something about Waver seemed off to Kayneth. Though it was true he already had a rebellious streak of sorts which included the stealing of his catalyst and his scandalous theories, Kayneth was slightly surprised to see Waver standing his ground even if he was poor at it. His Servant had to be affecting his personality somehow.

Throwing such thoughts aside Kayneth ignored his pupil's rude remarks and began the 'lesson'.

"Lesson number one, a proper duel between magi must always start with a bow. It is both a sign of respect towards one another and a pledge for an honorable fight"

He made a small bow expecting Waver to follow his lead. When he failed to do so a few shards of magical ice shot forth from Kayneth's outstretched hand throwing Waver into a panic.

The boy threw himself towards the ground just as the ice flew above his head missing his hair by mere inches. As the shards shattered uselessly against the nearby walls of a house, Kayneth quietly chuckled to himself and continued.

"There you go, that is more like it. A worm like yourself is more suited towards crawling on the ground like that. Feel free to stay there as long as you like."

Shooting a hate filled glare straight towards Kayneth, Waver jumped back to his feet just as Kayneth spoke again.

"Now for your second lesson. A magus is only as good as his crest. The older and more prestigious the crest, the more deserving the magus who owns said crest, as I will now prove. As a show of good faith I will give you an opportunity to show me your best magecraft. Go on, attack me with all the magical spells you can muster and I promise to take them head on. You wanted to prove how talented a magus can be even with a meager crest, did you not? Well now I am giving you the chance to prove your theory!"

As if making good on his promise Kayneth held his hands in the air and made no movement. He truly intended to take Waver's attack head on.

Though he did indeed have talent, Waver was not suited to something like direct combat. Even so he was not about to allow his teacher to get the best of him. If it was a magical attack Kayneth wanted, Waver was prepared to throw out the strongest offensive attack he could muster.

Waver pushed one foot forward and began to mentally prepare himself as he gathered a large portion of the magical energy he had stored in his body. While muttering hate filled words under his breath, his began to glow in a sickly red aura as he reached into his pocket and began to chant.

"_Igneus, ut crescant et figura in inferno!"_

The small glass orb that he had retrieved began to vibrate violently and glow with an intense blue light as Waver grimaced in pain. From the amount of prana that Waver was pouring into the object it was clear he was truly putting his all into this attack.

Faster and faster the orb shook as the glass containing various traces of conductive magical materials began to crack from the strain of containing all of that power. As the very air around it began to boil from the energy and Waver's hands began to burn he took the orb and threw it towards Kayneth with all his might.

Halfway towards its target the orb exploded and a cone of flames and burning liquids erupted straight towards the nobleman, but he continued to stand there, undaunted by the impressive display of magical prowess as he uttered two words.

"_Murum glacies..."_

Before the cone of flames could reach him his white leathered gloves quickly began to change shape leaving his hands and forming a solid barrier of ice directly in front of him. Confidently, he stood his ground as the fire splashed against the frozen shield, keeping him safe from harm.

By the time the fire had subsided, the area was filled with a thick heated mist, yet the barrier was still standing. Raising his eyebrow as if questioning if that was really the best his student could do he dissolved the barrier as his gloves once more covered his hands.

Waver was dumbfounded. That attack had used most of his current magical energy and here Kayneth stood, without a single scratch.

"...A mystic code!?"

With a mocking expression pasted across his face Kayneth as if his pupil had just said the most idiotic thing in the world he continued his lessons.

"Hmm, an impressive attack. By overloading the core elements of a sphere meant to induce light when magical energy it poured into it you managed to create an intense heat that would incinerate. However, as you can see, such an attack uses a great deal of magical energy. It looks like are starting to run low and after your first attack. What a pity. Well as they say, time is short and my lessons are not cheap so let us continue with my turn. Feel free to grovel and beg if you think this attack is too much for you to bear."

Reaching into one of his coat pockets Kayneth retrieved a small clear vial containing a thick black liquid. With a single wave of his hand the black had changed into an eerie looking purple as Kayneth began his own chant.

"_Igneus"_

The magus spoke only a single word. It was nothing like the verse Waver had to chant, but as he was about to prove his attack would be thrice as powerful as anything Waver could ever hope to muster. With a deathly stare that had made many a student quiver in fear and even a few wet their pants Kayneth lightly tossed his own magical concoction high into the air.

Alarm bells began to flash through Waver's head as everything slowed down. He needed to get out of the way. If he didn't, he would die. Waver Velvet would die.

_**GET OUT OF THE WAY.**_

When it had reached its apex the vial exploded in a glorious blaze of purplish heat. An inferno over three times the size of Waver's own barreled towards the poor boy. The ground began to shake, the air boiling away as they approached. Everything was flames, from which there could be no escape. Before he could even utter a single word he used all his energy to sprint and dive out of the way of the attack while the shock wave from the sheer force sent him flying towards a streetlamp his back slamming against the cold steel.

When the explosion finally died down, Waver could hardly believe his eyes. The hard concrete that he had been standing on mere moments ago was now a boiling hot crater in the earth, The very earth itself had been ripped from its foundations. It was finally beginning to dawn on him, had his movements been even the tiniest bit slower or had Kayneth's aim been just a little more serious he would have died.

He truly was at the mercy of his former teacher. And without a moment's reprieve, the lessons continued.

"Ahem, lesson number three. As one of the lower class, one must never anger those of a higher class. To do so would provoke a retribution most justified. To make an enemy of the higher class would be the same as making an enemy of the entire clock tower!"

"_Glacies testa…"_

With an outstretched hand pointed towards the whimpering boy Kayneth continued without pause. In an instant the thin fibers that formed the sleeve of his coat were transformed into razor sharp metal needles. Like the bullets of a machine gun, they were launched towards the boy one after another, with each promising lasting - if not fatal - damage if even one of them hit.

Still staggering to his feet the shock on Waver's face was quickly replaced by the fear of being hit by those needles. Desperately he threw himself aside, as the fibers cut through his hair and past him, embedding themselves into the light post he had just escaped from.

Another volley of spiked fibers was launched as Waver dashed here and there, looking for a place to hide, but before he could make it to the corner of one of the nearby houses Kayneth continued with his second spell..

"_Ortu lapis..."_

A rock, a piece of rubble created by Kayneth's earlier attack, rolled into the boy's path. His attention fully occupied with the need to evade the hail of needles, Waver failed to notice until it was too late. The boy stumbled, with his former teacher taking ruthless advantage.

"_Latrantibus inguina!"_

A small familiar that had been quietly observing the fight on one of the nearby rooftops exploded into a howling phantom, rushing straight towards the hapless boy. With no chance to react, the attack slammed directly into Waver, slamming him into the ground and knocking the wind out of him.

Desperate for air, Waver gasped for breath, clutching at his throat.

A single spell. That was all he had been able to cast - all his teacher had _permitted _him to cast - before he had been utterly defeated. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't even call for his Servant.

Was this how he was fated to die? Was it Waver Velvet's fate to die helpless and alone, in some foreign city, at the hands of his greatest foe?

"And now my dear student, allow me to give you your final lesson. As a proper magus, one must accept any and all accusations of thievery with his head held high and an aura of glory and honor. To fail in this is deserving of nothing of death. However, as I am merciful, I am willing to grant you an alternative. By all rights, I should kill you where you stand, but I think a lifetime of servitude is far more suitable, given your crimes. Yes, you shall make for an excellent test subject for my research. This way, your pitiful life - and even your eventual death - will be of benefit to the magical world, as I'm sure you still desire. Ah, worry not, I will handle the preparations at once."

He intended to continue without giving Waver a moment of respite. Whether the boy wanted it or not Kayneth was about to bind him with a magical geas that would seal his fate, ensuring he would never again rebel.

"_De quo tormen-" _

"MASTER LOOK OUT!"

"Hu-?" Before he could even turn to react to the new voice Kayneth's body was thrown straight into the nearby brick wall as a mass of fire and metal collided directly with his body. The force of the blast was so strong a huge crater had formed around his impact and his body ached in pain.

He was lucky to be alive. The automatic defense systems that ran through the Volumen Hydrargyrum reacted the instant danger was sensed. This reaction coupled with the previous adjustments he made a few days ago shielded him from most of the impact, but it was close. Had the mystic code been just a few milliseconds slower it was likely he would have perished from the blast.

Instead he merely had the wind knocked out of him and a few bruised bones. Dazed from the blast of his new adversary Kayneth struggled to get to his feet but his foe was not about to give him the opportunity to retaliate.

The large Servant known as Rider had rushed over to his Master who was still unable to move and lifted him up by the collar tucking him under one arm before jumping onto a large piece of wood and floating off into the air at high speeds leaving nothing but a cowardly retort.

"Sorry maties, but things got a bit too hectic for me likin', I think it's best we high tail it outa here! Har har har!".

By the time Lancer had reached his own Master, Rider had disappeared into the night sky. Ignoring the other Servant for now, Lancer went to ensure the safety of his own Master first and foremost.

"Master! Are you okay!? I beg a thousand pardons of you, Rider momentarily blinded me with a blast of currency and then fired that attack off at you before I had a chance to react. If I hadn't been so distracted in the fight this would have never happened…"

The look on Lancer's face was as if he was a dog who had just been caught in the act of doing something bad. He was so ashamed it was as if the blow had been towards him not his Master and it was perfectly clear that he deeply regretted his actions.

The wind was just starting to come back to Kayneth as he once more regained his stance. Letting out a few aching coughs he did his utmost to shrug off the blow he had just received. Even though his body ached as if he had just been hit by a car he still managed to maintain control. This pain was nothing compared to that of having a magic crest transferred after all, if he could get through that he could get through anything.

Rather he was more furious at his Servant, with a hate filled glare he yelled at Lancer.

"I told you to keep him busy! You call yourself a loyal guard but you can't even keep one lousy Servant in check!?"

If the situation didn't require immediate attention Kayneth would have dealt his Servant a far harsher penalty. But urgency required that things continue to move. His heart skipped a beat as a sensor in his brain alerted him to a new presence.

A new Servant had entered the vicinity.

Yet before he could even react to that, a new voice rang throughout the now ruined residential landscape..

"Police! Put your hands in the air!"

The clinking sound of a gun being cocked was followed by the appearance of a police officer who was aiming at the two of them with shaking hands. It was then that Kayneth cursed his second folly of the night, in the aftermath of the explosion from Rider's blast the barriers set up by Kayneth had been destabilized allowing non-magical folks to enter.

Though most normal people would normally be unable to get through it appeared that one unlucky police officer unwittingly happened to have some affinity with magic.

Turning to face the newcomer Kayneth dramatically began to raise his hands while ordering his Servant to do the same. Though he knew his Servant would be able to peacefully deal with this situation in a matter of seconds the other incoming Servants gave his mind other ideas.

With a thud the dual spears that Lancer held were dropped as he also raised his hands whilst answering the man's orders he also faced the officer and gave him a peaceful look as if showing he meant no harm.

"Now turn around and put your hands behind your backs! No sudden movements you hear!?"

Despite giving clear orders the officer was clearly distressed not that Kayneth could blame him. He had stumbled into a world he didn't belong, normally that was a death sentence but perhaps he was luckier than most he happened to come at a time where he could be useful to Kayneth..

Refusing to turn around Kayneth instead faced the man and uttered a single word.

_"Aperta..."_

The fight was already over before it had even started. In the span of just a few seconds a vial sealed inside one of Kayneth's many pockets exploded and an evil spirit burst forth and charged the unsuspecting officer though not before he could fire a single shot.

"Ahhh, AHHHHhH! Let me GO! **AAhahHAH!**"

In horrid screams an evil spirit one that specialized in causing pain had possessed the officer and began to work it's magic. The bullet that had been fired was caught between the fingers of Kayneth's own Servant. The metal projectile was then uselessly tossed aside as the officer began to tear at his own face trying to pry the curse from his own body.

He was being tormented to no end, it was a truly horrific experience and if left alone he would surely die from the pain, but that was what Kayneth was planning.

"Lancer we are leaving to pursue Rider at once. Though I detest the thought at times even this cannot be avoided, pick me up and escape from this place. The other Servant cannot be allowed to catch us yet, not when we are so close to our goal.

"Master, that is unwise…"

Lancer was clearly hesitant but judging from the fierce glances Kayneth continued to show he knew he had little choice in the matter. Any attempt at trying to reason with his Master would just be seen as a sign of disobedience and would likely have harsh consequences.

Dematerializing his spears from their fallen positions Lancer very carefully picked Kayneth up pardoning himself in the process and took off with a single mighty leap onto a nearby rooftop before disappearing out of view just as the other voices from the second Servant and their Master could be heard faintly in the distance.

"Milady they should be over here..."

*********Interlude Start***********

At the cost of partially revealing his Noble Phantasm Rider's attack allowed the two of them to escape. The wind roared around them as they hastily made their way from the quiet houses, towards the other side of the River far away from their opponents.

Waver was finally coming to his senses as he began to become aware of his surroundings he was about to yell at Rider to put him down when he looked down causing his eyes to shoot wide open.

Rider was standing atop the a huge piece of wood that was floating through the air without anything seemingly propelling it. It was the first time Waver had laid eyes on his Servant's Noble Phantasm and he was completely perplexed as to how it worked. But more than that he was concerned with getting down onto safe ground.

"Rider! Can we please go down! Too high! We are too high!"

Ignoring his Master's panicked state Rider came to a halt directly above the bridge. Putting his hand on his chin he thought for a moment before pounding his chest and stating his idea.

"Yes! This place will do nicely! A fine place to battle!"

Hearing that his Servant intended to continue the fight Waver's already panicked state became even worse. Throwing his arms uselessly around he disregarded any concerns for safety.

"B-b-battle!? B-but we barely got out of there alive! W-we should regroup, y-yes I don't think we are anywhere near ready to fight him. We should live to fight another day!"

Rider glanced towards his Master with a pitiful look before chuckling to himself as if coming to some sort of resolution.

"Sorry laddie, that's just ain't my style ya see. I'ma man of action, runnin' and hidin, like some punk, would ruin me reputation! But that guy ya confronted, that Lancer's Master, he seems like tha' kinda guy you fear the most. Why don't ya tell me 'bout 'im?

Realizing that struggling was useless Waver was finally starting to calm down. Taking a deep breath he began to explain.

"He was my former teacher and lecturer, his name is Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald… I once greatly respected him, so much so that I decided to show him my life's work… But in the end it was all for nothing… He denied everything, he humiliated me in front of all my peers… I couldn't take it anymore, I wanted to get back at him for what he did to me, so I stole his catalyst, your catalyst, and ran for the Holy Grail War… But now, I don't know, I'm starting to wonder if this was all worth it…"

For once much to Waver's amazement a serious expression stretched across Rider's face as he thought about how to respond.

"Sounds like ya have quite tha' history with this Kayneth fellow. Let me offer ya' a piece of advice Master. Don't worry about it so much, the more ya' do the more he's gonna get under yer skin."

Pointing towards the business district side of the bridge Rider began to make their way towards the ground. It was already the dead of night, as such there was barely a soul to be seen as they made their way through the night sky.

"Yeah, if only it was that easy… So what's your plan then, he'll be here any minute and here we are just sitting out in the open waiting… Oh god he'll be here any minute… Well what's your plan!?"

As Waver's entire body began to stiffen in fright his Servant proceed to give him an enormous nuggie straight to his forehead.

"Calm down ya little brat. I still gotta few tricks up me sleeve. Perhaps even enough to show this here Kayneth fello' just who 'e's up against."

A jovial smile beamed across the large man's face as he touched down on the ground with a huge thud throwing his Master down with a crash in the process.

"Ya see, I think I can beat this here 'Kayneth' fello' right 'ere and now! Do you see that abandoned building over there? I want you to go to the roof and watch me 'ere. You've 'ad enough for tonight laddie. Leave the the rest to yer faithful Servant! I think it's about time I show these 'ere folks what the dread pirate Francis Drake can truly do! Har har har har!"

Pointing towards one of the nearby buildings Rider gave his Master a final faithful grin before slamming his fist into the boy's back and jumping back onto the floating mast of his ship.

Seeing the pure confidence that leaked from his Servant's eyes Waver was unable to retort, instead he merely stood still for a few moments before running off in a full sprint just as the edges of his eyes began to water.

"Go Rider… I believe in you…"

**********Interlude End**********

The buildings stretched around them like a maze as Lancer expertly jumped across them with dizzying speed. The winds howled around them and even Kayneth was having trouble keeping track of just how fast they were really moving, but before he could even finish that thought the dotted houses had quickly been replaced by the great red bridge that connected the two sides of the city together.

With no signs of their pursuer behind them it was likely that the other Servant had decided to deal with Kayneth's distraction, this would allow him to turn all of his focus towards the chase before them.

"Master, it appears the enemy intends to face us here. What do you recommend we should do?"

Reinforcing his eyes Kayneth could make out the tiny figure of Rider on the opposite end of the bridge standing on what was likely part of his mount an enormous idiotic grin pasted across his face. With an outstretched hand pointed straight for the two of them it was clear he had been waiting.

"This is far enough Lancer, set me down here, at this distance I will be able to react to any tricks he might have."

As the two of them prepared their plan of attack a sound like a bomb exploding rang throughout the air before a single metal projectile slammed into a nearby sidewalk shaking the ground with sheer force.

Glaring at Rider, they saw that he now had an elaborately decorated golden cannon behind him a piece of the ship he once sailed ages ago. The shot was a clear miss, a threat? Or something more?

Straining his vision even further, Kayneth could make out that the enemy Servant was signaling for them to look at the hunk of metal he had fired making a motion as if trying to read something.

Glancing at it yet again Kayneth noticed that as the red hot metal cooled an elaborate message had been scrawled across its surface. Being careful not to get too close lest it be a trap he began to read what had been inscribed.

'_To me newfound rivals. _

_Greetings! As I'm sure ya know by know I Servant Rider have decided not to run. Rather as a gamblin' man of sorts I'd like to challenge ye to an all out brawl. I the defender will attempt to stop yer Servant from crossing this 'ere bridge using whatever tools I can muster. If ya can make it across I will accept me defeat and will withdraw from this 'ere war. In other words, I'll likely die and you'd be free to do with me Master whatever yer heart desired. I'll even reveal 'is location fer ya. But if by chance yer Servant Lancer happens to fail and is killed instead yer to leave me own 'ere Master alone and offer em back 'is position in that there clock tower thingy he seems to hold so dear. Any attempts to cross will be seen as an acceptance of the challenge, so if ya wanna run I recommend doin' so right away before any of the other Servants get funny ideas._

_Humbly yers, Servant Rider'_

Making good on his promise Rider had not budged an inch as he quietly waited for his foes to come to a decision, something that Kayneth had already decided on.

"Lancer if you go all out, how long will it take you to cross this bridge?"

Thinking for a few moments Lancer confidently replied.

"About eight seconds, if he puts up heavy resistance… Closer to fifteen."

"That will be more than enough then, I will remain here as per the challenge conditions. Do not concern yourself with me until he is dealt with. Even if he goes against his word I will be able to hold my own."

Both sides were confident that they would be able to stop one another, with a confirming nod Kayneth revealed to the distant Rider that he intended to accept his challenge..

In the calm before the inevitable storm Lancer smirked as he began to brace himself for a full on sprint straight down the middle of the barren road as time seemed to freeze.

Rider followed suit by holding his arms high into the air as he began to chant. By reinforcing his ears to their maximum potential Kayneth could make out his words.

"Har! Come at me then! I the destroyer of the invincible armada, I the infamous devil of the seven seas, I who ruled the navy upon which the sun never set. I once more call forth the **Hunt of the Golden Hind** let my enemies drown in the sea of cannonfire!"

Enormous amounts of magical energy poured forth from Rider as the air around the bridge began to warp around itself revealing the appearance of floating cannon after cannon around the bridge itself.

They were the armaments of the famed armada of the Golden Hind, a fleet that had once defeated the previously invincible Spanish Armada and a turning point in human history. Very few Servants could make that claim and even fewer boasted the skills to prove it, but this Servant boasted them all.

Looking around Kayneth could count at least forty of them with particularly large cannons behind Rider himself, it was likely that this was still only a fraction of Rider's strength. Yet before he could begin to guess just what else Rider might have in store the Admiral took action yet again.

"Cannons Aim!"

With a furious gaze Rider pointed directly at Lancer, Unfazed by the appearance of so many deadly weapons Lancer continued to lay in his stance bracing himself for the moment he would launch his full speed.

"**FIRE!"**

In an instant of a second both sides sprung into action. The sounds of forty cannons drowned out all sound as shockwaves pelted the air and shook the very foundations of the bridge itself with a roaring howl. It was a literal rain of cannonfire all directly aimed at Lancer the path he had to take to reach Rider.

Before Kayneth could even react Lancer took off like a rocket, the shockwaves of his charge was so great that it surprised even him throwing him on his back. By the time he looked back the ground had been cracked and a small crater marked the sheer force of his launch.

With the rest of the battle now out of his hands Kayneth quietly decided to simply watch and see just how his Servants would compete against one another.

"Fire! _Fire!_ **Fire!**"

The barrage came in all directions, a literal rain of death. Even a single shot from one of these cannons would have pulverized a normal human into nothingness yet Lancer was not afraid.

With speed like the wind itself he dodged wave after wave of destruction, the balls of fire and metal slamming into the concrete road creating huge open holes as they fell into the freezing waters below.

Like a snake Lancer masterfully snuck between the openings of the explosions, No matter how slim they were he still made his way through flame and splintering metal as if it was nothing.

"Impressive! But what about this!?"

Directly ahead of him more and more cannons began to materialize before him until a total of eighty aimed themselves directly ahead.

"Fire!"

Masterfully syncing their shots eighty cannonballs became a literal wall of metal that not even a Servant could avoid.

So if he couldn't avoid them he would just have to make a path!

Materializing his longer red spear Lancer halted his momentum for just a moment, gripping the spear in both his hands he began to twirl it in front of him, faster and and faster he spun until the very air around the spear could be seen.

Holding the spear in front of him he charged once more slamming right into the wall cannon fire. If any normal Servant would have been hit by such a thing their death would have been certain, yet Lancer was by no means a normal Servant.

The vortex he had created had forged a path through certain death. He had carved straight through death itself in order to continue onwards. With the spear twirling in a furious red haze Lancer ran, faster and faster as if mocking Rider's futile attempts to stop him!

"Clever! Well what if ya had no path!?"

Right before he had reached the halfway point the road ahead exploded in a mix of fire, concrete, and metal shrapnel a set of cannons that had been placed directly below the bridge destroyed the path ahead.

The ground was shaking, the bridge began to vibrate from having it's very foundations ruptured. It would surely collapse if this destruction kept up.

Lancer needed to find a way through, and if the road was unavailable he would simply go around. Halting the twirl of his spear he leap high into the air with all his might straight towards one of the far up supporting structures. Just as he reached it he angled himself in such a way that he could kick himself off again towards the next and then the next. Using this method he began to cross over the empty structure of the bridge.

"Ya think it's over yet!?"

But Rider was not about to let him get any further, aiming all the cannons at his disposal he fired yet again.

Caught in a midair flight, avoiding the attacks was now unavoidable to the flying Lancer. But he was not about to halt there! Bringing forth his second spear he pushed his arms to their limits slashing away at any of the projectiles directly in his path.

By all means it should have been an impossible action, attacking and avoiding while in mid flight, but to Lancer it was just another challenge he would overcome. With ease he continued to jump from metal pillar to metal pillar avoiding shots whenever possible and slashing away any that would hit.

"Why won't you die!? I bring forth from thee grave, oh dreaded ships of fire, incinerate my enemies in hellfire!"

He was almost at Rider now, but by far the great challenge had just appeared, an entire ship far larger than any cannon or even the bridge itself emerged from the portals and rocketed towards Lancer just as alarm bells rang in his head.

"Ignite!"

In the flash of a second just as the ship reached Lancer it exploded in a blast larger than most modern bombs, flames poured forth like a tidal wave of incineration it intended to swallow Lancer whole!

As durable as he was even he would surely perish if caught in that attack, but he was not about to give up yet. Landing yet again on one of the steel support structures Lancer began to ran upwards until he reached it's peak, when he reached the very top he jumped as high as he could. Higher and higher he flew into the air far above the bridge and the explosion itself until gravity once more called to him and he fell out of sight and into the receding flames.

"Was that enough for ya!?"

Unsure if his attack had actually worked Rider continued to peer through the thick black smoke to see if there was any sign of Lancer.

"Hmph, I guess in the end ya really were all talk eh? Well then, as per th- What!?"

The smoke was finally clearing and in the center standing on one of the red hot support pillars stood Lancer. His armor had been singed from the attack and pieces of it had completely burned away revealing his muscular skin beneath, but there still stood.

"I will admit Rider, you have surpassed my expectations, I had estimated fifteen seconds when in reality it looks like it took closer to twenty. You have my praise, but this fight is over. Accept your fate."

With a single large bound Lancer leaped towards Rider.

"No, it ain't over yet! Aim! Fire!"

Expecting yet another barrage of cannons Lancer braced himself, only to freeze in fear as he realized the cannons had not aimed at him but his Master.

"Master! Look out!"

Unable to change his trajectory or even retreat in time, Lancer had no choice but to continue his flying leap towards Rider,

"It ain't ov-"

With Gáe Buidhe outstretched he slammed straight into the enraged Rider who exploded in a flash of dust and light. The cannons surrounding them fading away into the darkness.

The battle was finally over, they had been victorious. Or had they? Before Lancer could even confirm Rider's death he immediately changed course and attempted to cross the hulking remains of what was once the Great Fuyuki Bridge.

* * *

He had been prepared in case Rider attempted another trick and his preparations had payed off. Just before his own Servant reached Rider the cannons had aimed themselves directly towards Kayneth who immediately proceeded to bring forth his strongest defense.

The silver mercury encircled his body like a shell just as the fire and metal rammed into him, though he had managed to hold against most of the attacks the barrage had begun to pierce inwards.

It felt like he was being rammed by a car over and over again, the strain was too much for his fragile human body to bear. Though in the end his Volumen Hydrargyrum had managed to hold out, it was not without great cost to his body.

Thrown to the ground his entire body ached in pain, his circuits had been pushed to their limits and he was fading in and out of consciousness when Lancer finally returned. Using the last of his strength he gave his final order of the night to his faithful Servant.

"Lancer… I believe that attack took a little more out of then I would have preferred Take me back to my base, we will plan our next course of action tomorrow…"

And then everything went black.


	4. Chapter 3 - Unrequited Love

It was now morning and Sola was in a good mood. She was beginning to have doubts ever since she agreed to accompany her fiance, Kayneth, on his trip overseas, yet that all changed when she discovered his Servant.

_'__Diamuid Ua Duibhne… What an interesting man…'_

That handsome Servant felt like a rose in a garden of weeds. A shining beacon in a monotonous world. But it was still too early to make any rash decisions. For now she would simply watch him, and observe his knightly behavior as best she could just as she did last night.

Yes, she had been watching Kayneth and Diamuid's every move and it was her early preparations that helped to make sure Kayneth remained in healthy condition. Though the hit he took was by no means small, a barrage of cannon fire had bruised and torn at his body. Additionally, he was greatly fatigued of magical energy, because of all these factors it seemed likely to Sola that he would be unconscious for the remainder of the day.

This was yet another boon to her confused self, after all, what better chance to think about things, then when you know you can be alone?

_'__What a shame…'_ She knew it was wrong but she was starting to care less and less about that boring nobleman. If he had been in any worse condition it would have been possible to take more drastic action against him.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity she had been granted, Sola attempted again and again to summon Lancer to her. As a magic user she was able to sense that the knight was nearby his Master's side, yet any and all calls for him were ignored.

Time passed and eventually it as noon. With no response from Lancer, Sola's mood was reaching it's apex. It was then that Kayneth finally began to awaken. Rubbing his sore head he stumbled out of his room and immediately headed for the kitchen.

For Sola, it was just another sign of Kayneth's boring routine. She was aware that he loved to indulge himself in tea, it was one of the few hobbies he had outside of the magical world.

_'__How is it one of the most powerful noble families could produce a man as plain as him?'_

It was illogical in all sense of the word. Yet she still had to deal with him regardless of what she personally thought, it was simply a part of her duty as a daughter of the Sophia-Ri. Unable to take his boring approach any further she decided to take action. Strolling up to the still semi-unconscious Kayneth she began to berate him.

"So it seems you've awoken, I hope you're happy with all the damage you've caused, and for what? You couldn't even take care of the** one** goal you set for yourself!"

Perhaps he was still drowsy from the night before. With a dumb and confused expression he stared right back Sola his lips twitching into something that resembled a sentence.

"That was… I mean… But…"

It was the best he could mutter in his current condition. Perhaps those explosions had taken more out of him than Sola expected?

And as she was fearing his Servant immediately materialized by his side to defend him.

"Ms. Sola! I must ask that you stop these false accusations against my Master. The fault does not lie with him, rather I fear it was my mistake in failing to properly read Rider's attack. If you have anyone to blame, then please take your anger out on me."

Bowing his head so low that it was nearly touching the floor his expression grew dim, yet that only served to annoy Sola even further.

_'__Why is it that idiotic man was the one stuck with this Servant? If I was the one in control things would be different…'_

Before she could give a proper reply however, Kayneth had finally managed to recover. Rubbing his sore head he spoke in as commanding a voice as he could mutter.

"That is enough Lancer. What happened last night… Matters little in the scheme of things. That _boy's_ Servant is now dead, I have accomplished exactly what I set out to do. As you can see, even the full range of that Servant's tricks were unable to halt my inevitable victory. I will be winner, the both of you can be sure of that."

The arrogance that he still exuded even after such a humiliating encounter last night was enough to make Sola nauseous. With a sharp tone she began to shut him down.

"Not if you keep doing this you won't. You got lucky last night, if Lancer hadn't been so quick to defeat Rider and rescue you the situation could have easily gotten far worse. And then what would you have done? Well?"

Maybe he had misinterpreted her statement, regardless, his previous dull expression had now become a smirk as he chuckled to himself.

"You forget, I was perfectly fine handling myself up until the point Lancer had returned to me. If anyone else had shown themselves I would have dealt with them accordingly. A Magus is only as good as his tools after all, and Lancer is only one such tool in my entire arsenal. Anyone foolish enough to provoke me into open combat would quickly realized just how grave a mistake they had made."

_'__And yet another foolish response, this man is truly unoriginal, unlike our Servant…'_

She was about to give another demeaning response when Kayneth's expression changed.

"What is it? Did you sense something?"

"The seventh Master, he has summoned."

Rushing over to his desk Kayneth glanced at the map and began to write down a few calculations.

"It was near the Tohsaka leyline..."

With the seventh Master summoned, the war was officially beginning, perhaps it was for the best that Kayneth was too fatigued to fight this very night. Staying alive and away from combat meant she would have more chances to talk with his Servant after all. Walking over to the remote, Kayneth turned on the television to a local news station to discover that there was a few reports of a bank robbery and a murdered family in a residential district near where he fought with the Master of Rider.

It was easy enough to assume a connection between the two of them.

"Using the dead bodies of ordinary humans. The seventh must be nothing but a common killer. What a shame… I was hoping for a Master of more character."

It seemed that he was hit with a bolt of inspiration, shutting the television off he turned to me again and spoke.

"Sola, I am returning to my work, I will not allow the same mistakes to happen again. We shall win this war, my former pupil's actions have sealed his fate, now it is time to show the rest of the Master's just how strong I am."

Ignoring any other comments I might have, he left the room and headed towards one of the side workshops.

* * *

As noon turned to evening Sola had begun to contemplate everything that had happened after Kayneth went unconscious. The bridge had been nearly totaled, using normal human methods it would be far out of the scope of the war before the bridge was anything close to usable again, but with the help from the moderator at the church it would likely be just a few days until it was back in usable capacity.

Additionally, by tapping into a few of the familiars that Kayneth had sprawled around the city she watched the other encounter between Servants. The fight between Rider and Lancer had attracted other Servants who then began to fight among themselves for a short time before departing.

There was the noble looking female knight who wore silver armor, she fought against a maddened fully armored black knight for a short time until the same golden Servant that had defeated Assassin appeared and engaged the both of them for a time.

With the three of them seemingly at a stalemate they then retreated once more leaving the normal humans to deal with the destruction of the city and their prized bridge. With a thankful sigh Sola couldn't help but be glad that Lancer had retreated with his Master when he did. If he had stayed any longer he would have been thrust into even more danger.

There was also that other Servant that had just recently been summoned, the seventh Master. Though she held little interest in the other Masters and their Servants she realized the importance of his appearance. With his summoning the war was finally beginning, her Lancer would be thrust into even more danger and at this point there was little she could do about it.

Was waiting really the best option?

Unsure of what to think about the situation Kayneth once more entered the room and spoke up to her.

"Sola, I am still greatly fatigued from the last night's encounters, because of that it is likely that I am going to rest for the next few days. I am sure you will not have any problems with this, right?"

On the contrary, Sola was rather peeved that Kayneth thought he always knew the best course of action. She knew that resting was indeed the best option but she couldn't help but be bitter about it.

"So that's it, you're just going to sit around like some coward. Not like the proper magus you so wish to be?"

Perhaps the mentioning of being a proper magus was enough to grind on Kayneth's nerves, as with a tense expression he gave response that was perhaps a little too passionate.

"But of course! To be a proper magus, is to play your cards to the best of your abilities. As such sometimes the best course of action is to stand and watch as the rest of the rabble wastes itself against each other. To jump straight into the fray while I am not at my full strength would only result in an humiliating defeat or a close victory, something I feel can be avoided at this current time."

There he went again, talking more and more about what it meant to be a 'proper' magus. The more he spoke the words the more Sola began to grind her teeth in frustration. With a sarcastic chuckle she dismissively replied.

"Sure sure, so long as it suits your goals you are willing to word it anyway you want. Regardless of how true it is."

And like clockwork his Servant materialized to defend his honor.

"Ms. Sola, please do not speak to my Master in such a way. I realize you are his fiance but he is trying his best for all of us. Can you not see that?"

Though she knew it was coming she couldn't help but remain stunned and frustrated at such a pure-hearted response. Unable to reply she decided to keep her mouth, instead choosing to shoot a piercing gaze at Kayneth.

Kayneth however, was not so amused to have his Servant defend in his stead. But it was clear to the both of them that there was not going to be any further progress in this discussion. With a final note he decided it was best that the three of them disbanded for the time being.

With an indifferent sigh Sola left for her own room yet again, perhaps it was time she thought about things even further.

* * *

The evening was quickly turning to dusk, as Sola began to prepare for the night she heard a knock on the door.

"May I come in?"

It seemed as if Kayneth had decided to take a break from his meaningless work and wanted to talk with her. Deciding to remain civil for the time being she confirmed and slowly, Kayneth opened the door and walked through.

Sitting at her desk she continued pretending to stare at the clothes catalogue she had open in front of her. The price tags on most of the garments in the magazine would put most average families in debt for the rest of their lives. But for Sola, it was simply another perk of being a noblewoman.

_'__Maybe I should buy a few more houses worth, it would help to ease the pain of dealing with him.'_

As she continued to think such useless thoughts her fiance decided to speak up and break the ice. With a slightly nervous tone, something that he rarely showed, he began to speak of concern.

"Ahem, my dearest Sola, something seems to be bothering you. It is true you said you were ok earlier, but I still can't help and have this feeling that you seem to be hiding something."

With a worried expression on his face he did his best to stare straight at Sola's eyes. However perhaps because of his anxiety the eye contact lasted only a second before Kayneth turned to away yet again.

This was enough to leave Sola with nothing but a bitter sigh, turning back to her magazine she flipped through another page before giving a nonchalant answer.

"As I said before I am fine, there is no need to keep asking so you can leave me alone. After all, don't you have a war to win?"

Seeing himself being ignored that easily but Kayneth into a more forceful attitude, perhaps in desperation he continued to speak of concern.

"Sola, please look at me."

After giving an exaggerated sigh, she did finally turned to face him before giving off yet another annoyed glare straight into his heart..

After steeling himself, Kayneth managed to lock eyes with Sola. It was a moment that seemed to last an eternity for both of them, though for Sola it was more because of her desire to be done with it.

Unable to pick up the emotions going on in his fiance's head, Kayneth continued on.

"Thank you, you know that I wish only the best for you. I realize that I may not have been your favorite choice but even still I only want to help. So please… If there is anything you are uncomfortable with, anything at all. Just tell me and I will do my best to help you if I can."

It was perhaps the most emotional thing she had ever heard him say, and even her icy heart felt the tiniest twinge of pity for him. But such thoughts were quickly cast aside as she reclaimed her cold demeanor. After all, deep down she knew the real reason why they were getting married after the war's end. She knew that the only reason the two of them were close at all, was because of the heir they could produce.

Ignoring his concern and turning once more to her magazine Sola with a care in her tone she replied yet again.

"I have said it before and I will say it again, there is nothing and there never will. Now please, leave me in peace."

She believed that for Kayneth it was still an unacceptable answer, but she also knew that after such a direct statement there would be little he could do to respond.

"Very well then, as you wish."

With those simple words Kayneth bid her farewell and left the room. Yet just before he had closed the door he gave a final reply.

"I apologize if you do not want me. But please believe me when I say that I do love you."

Yet there was no reply as the door closed shut.


	5. Chapter 4 - A Short Interruption

It was the following day, as Kayneth was continuing research into his Servant's capabilities he sighed at the apparent silence of his fellow Masters. With no movements from outside there was no need to act just yet, his wounds were practically gone so fighting would not be an issue.

Perhaps in an attempt to change the monotony of the day, Kayneth had begun to brew one of his favorite cups of tea when one of the familiars spread throughout the city sensed an unusual discharge of magical energy. Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to see that the surge was coming from the direction of the church.

Setting down his cup, Kayneth headed towards the window where he could see a faint bright light high in the air, it was an obvious signal and it could only mean one thing.

"So the mediator wishes to contact us Masters? Likely a result of past battles, yet in accordance with the rules I have little choice in the matter."

Appearing in person was akin to walking straight into a minefield, as such it was best to stick to a far safer method in this case through the use of a familiar.

With a simple wave of his hand, a silver dove flew forth from its perch atop the highrise and headed towards the church. He would see just what the mediator requested, and would fulfill his duties. As long as they did not get in the way of his true goals at least.

* * *

Inside the gently lit church the aged priest stood at the altar as he watched the arriving visitors take their seats among the pews.

Though he could not help but sigh at the sight of his newfound guests, rather than sitting most of them were perched atop the wood of the pews. When he saw that there were five in total he decided it was time to begin.

With a grim face denoting the seriousness of the situation he began to speak to them about the recent troubling circumstances that had recently arisen. He spoke of the renegade master who acted without restraint, and how they have, without reason, massacred multitudes of children and their families.

The mediator would not allow such ceaseless murders like those of the past wars to continue. And to show his commitment to this cause he unsleeved his arm revealing the vast swath of Command Seals that etched their way across his skin and revealed his reward.

A single Command Seal, an object of power that could quite possible turn the tide of the war if used in the right situation. This would be the prize of the ones who could defeat Caster and their Master.

Though there were no real Masters in the room the mediator felt as if he could feel the familiars quivering with the excitement at the thought of such a powerful temptation.

Yet before he dismissed them back into the war he felt it necessary to bring up one final word of warning. While death and destruction was to be expected in a war such as this, it was important that Masters and their Servants act with some ounce of responsibility. In particular the recent collapse of the Fuyuki Bridge. Though personally there was little one like the mediator could do to halt the destruction of the city, he would not be afraid to take further action towards the ones who continued such destruction.

With those final words and a wave of his hand, the meeting was dismissed and the familiars flew off towards their Masters to convey the news.

Watching them leave Risei couldn't help but sigh. Did he truly believe his reward would be enough to halt the violence that plagued the city? Perhaps not. But even so, he would do all he could to make sure the innocent would be safe from harm.

* * *

Seeing the proposal for an additional Command was certain to be beneficial for his cause, but for now there was no need for Kayneth to go out of his way to earn them. After all if another Master were to claim them it would only be a nuisance in Kayneth's eyes.

As such he would forever keep it in his mind but would simply continue as he had. But even so the comment about his recent battle with Waver was a sour mark. After all, it was natural that those lesser peasants and their constructs would be but mere playthings for the nobles like himself.

If one or two of them were to be destroyed it would only weigh on his conscious for but a brief moment. They could be rebuilt in an instant compared to how long it would take to rebuild something like his own Magic Crest after all. So it was fitting he treated them as such.

The priest's warnings though rather worthless in Kayneth's eyes would also be in his mind, so long as it suited him at least. For now it was time to return to planning, surely now that things had settled the dust was about to fly yet again. And when the time came he wanted to be ready.

* * *

In a long abandoned building two figures sat staring at the fuzzy television screen before them. The first a Master, his clothes all torn and ragged from previous days was still in a state of disbelief and shock. In his haste he had relocated the two of them to a new base of operations in order to protect both himself and the lives of his previous hostages.

His former base had been compromised which led them to relocated to the this shack of a warehouse, it was frankly a miracle the building itself was even still standing but it would keep them safe for the time being at , the longer he could stay away from his opponent the better, with a cowardly heart Waver Velvet knew this above all else.

The one sitting next to him, his Servant was furious. Though he occasionally grimaced in slight pain his face was soured with more than that. He was an impatient man and as a man of action he was quickly growing tired of sitting around. He wanted to take action, and defeat the Servant that gave him this wound that refused to heal.

Waver on the other hand was doing all he could to keep his Servant at bay. It was not helping that Rider had an enormous gash running all the way through his body. With blood continuously trickling out of his weakened body his time was slowly running out.

Yet even with such an injury the brash and violent Servant was like a raging typhoon. It was only a matter of time before Rider's patience would reach it's end. This was something Waver dreaded more than anything else at this time.

The rusted television with its scratchy ear wrecking sound and barely operating screen that continued to blink in and out of existence was just one such tool Waver had managed to acquire in order to keep his Servant at bay. And at the moment it was doing just that. With a sour face Rider continued to flip through channel after channel looking for something to ease his never ending torment.

"Oy! Boy I'm gettin' tired of all this waitin' around. I'm thankful that yer Command Seal saved me life but this damn injury hurts more than a splinter I'll tell ya that much, and it just ain't healing no matter how much we wait. I say we go out and attack!"

Slamming his first onto the ground he unleashed a large cloud of dust that had accumulated over the years.

Yet Waver's fear was greater than his Servant's anger. With a horrid expression he replied as best he could.

"And I'm telling you to wait! With the mediator's warning out I don't want to do anything that would throw us into even more trouble than we are already in. You're a Servant right? A being that's stronger than any modern human could ever be, so just hold it in like a man and we'll get our chance eventually, we just have to wait… And wait… Oh man what are we going to do, he's going to find us and then he's going to kill us or worse… Oh man oh man oh man oh ma- OW!"

Annoyed by all his Master's yapping the large Servant whomped him on his head in an attempt to shut him up. However, perhaps his frustration was growing far too large to handle, failing to check his strength the blow he administered was more than enough to knock his poor panicked Master out cold.

"Woops, my bad Master! Didn't realize m'own strength, Har har har!" In the dark and empty building the large figured let out a familiar ear piercing roar as they continued their long and anguished wait in hiding.

* * *

Night had once more returned to the city as Kayneth's confidence in his condition was finally returning. Thanks to Sola's healing magic his injuries were had completely vanished, and now he was ready to take on the next foe, and right in the nick of time.

A familiar on the opposite side of the city once more near the residential area had triggered the appearance of a battle between Servants. Once more it appeared to be the female knight and her black armored rival.

'So they have also begun to move, perhaps it is about time I take advantage of their quarrel?'

Yes, as a proper magus Kayneth was the sort of man to take advantage of any opportunity no matter how small. As such the decision for Kayneth was obvious and not something he was willing to pass up.

He would join their conflict and aid the stronger one to take out the weaker. In his own eyes it was certainly a wise plan and perhaps one that would end in yet another Servant's demise.

And his research was true and that female knight was her Servant, he might even be able to capture the Einzbern Master while he was at it. She would be needed to bring about the end of the ritual after all.

With such thoughts in his head Kayneth called his comrades into the room and announced his plan to the both of them.

"It appears that currently two Servants are fiercely engaged on the other side of the river, near the residential district. I will use this opportunity to take one of them out while they are distracted. If all goes well then we shall be one step closer to ending this pathetic farce of a war."

However Sola was unamused by her fiance's grand statements. With an aura of pity and distaste she spoke up.

"So you have decided to once more take the coward's route then? Then you will be doing so on your own, I refuse to take part in this foolish charade. If you still wish to go then it will be under your own merits, after all, if your talk is as true as you think then this will be no issue, correct?"

It was enough to sour Kayneth's previously elated mood. Yet he was not about to let her walk all over him yet again.

"Please Sola, why won't you see the value in what I do? Can you not at least reasonably look at my plans and see just how good they are? Rather than showing nothing but hate and distaste? Is that not too much to ask?"

Letting out a pitying sarcastic chuckle Sola had had enough for the night.

"I only speak what is true."

With that she left the room and slammed her door shut leaving her despondent fiance and his Servant by themselves.

Perhaps it was his own way of taking pity for his Master or perhaps something else, nevertheless Diarmuid couldn't help but try to break the growing tension in the room.

"Master, if I might gi-."

Before he could even finish his thought his Master interrupted with a forceful command.

"Not another word! You fight for me and nothing less! Do you understand!"

That was enough to shut Lancer up and for the rest of the time it took Kayneth prepare it was done in silence. It was obvious to the both of them that Kayneth was in no mood to talk to his 'tools'.

And as such Lancer could only give one final word of apology before the two of them left the hotel once more and went off towards the ensuing battle below.


	6. Chapter 5 - A Saber's Woes

The trip back to their old battleground was far trickier the second time around. With the bridge now heavily damaged and under construction it would be at least a few days until repairs were complete enough to allow travel by foot.

Yet Kayneth was not the kind of person who would allow himself to be limited by the same things that hindered normal people. If the path was sealed off he would simply create his own using whatever tools he had at his disposal.

To a normal onlooker the bridge itself looked as if only a few spots had been recently damaged slightly, when in reality the destruction was far worse than was let on. This was due to a huge bounded field that surrounded the entire bridge which created an illusion that there was little wrong.

As he approached the bridge the few police officers that were warning people away glanced at him before quietly nodding and outright ignoring his presence. A few other men dressed in constructions outfits were hard at work closer to the bridge's destroyed edge. To normal people it appeared as if they were using modern construction equipment to repair the bridge as quickly as they could, yet Kayneth knew better.

Passing by them he saw the true nature of what they were doing, using magic to reforge smashed steel and concrete they also noticed him and gave their own courteous glance before once more returning to their own work ignorant of the fact that one of the very men who caused this disaster was walking right by them.

The bridge itself was a complete and utter wreck, steel beams had been blasted by the numerous cannonballs as the pieces of it that still stood were layered in wave after wave of holes. The concrete itself was certainly unsafe to walk on as even a human's weight would likely be enough to send both it and the human in question tumbling towards the raging waters below.

But all of that was irrelevant to Kayneth, in time the magi would finish their job and to the normal folks around it would look like this was nothing more than a simple repair job after an unexpected event caused minor damage to the bridge.

Until then his mercury would be enough to see that his travel was as safe as ever as he continued to walk forwards towards the gaps the thin silver liquid stretched out between them, using its pressure sensors to check for layers that would be too weak to support them it allowed Kayneth to continue on his stroll as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. And eventually he had finished his crossing and once more returned to the safe haven of the earth below.

It did not take long to find the general location where the Servant battle was taking place. Even though a bounded field had been hastily set up, enormous amounts of magical energy could be felt leaking their way through.

Judging from how shabby the barrier was that surrounded the battle it was pretty evident that it was an unexpected battle for the two of them, yet judging from the sounds echoing around the battlefield neither force was willing to retreat just yet.

Walking straight into the battlefield would be an idiotic move, as such Kayneth elected to take the more intelligent approach. His presence had already been masked to hide any leaking magical energy, and his own Servant had been told to keep just outside what he believed to be the range of detection for the two Servants.

Even if his calculations were off the two appeared to be in such a heavy battle it was unlikely either would ever notice the prying eyes. In fact the constant ear-piercing roars that one of the two let out was enough clue them in on the appearance of Berserker.

Levitating up to a nearby rooftop, Kayneth began to watch the battle unfold before him.

The two heroes were at equal odds against one another though from at a glance it looked as if the blackened knight was starting to gain the edge over the blonde female knight. Yet the odd thing about this fight was the weapons the two wielded against one another.

The female knight was holding a blade that appeared to be invisible to the naked eye, with her two hands outstretched she was easily deflecting the enraged swings that the black knight was able to deliver.

He on the other hand held no such weapon, in fact his weapon was nothing more than a tree branch he had likely picked up from the side of the road. Even so that wooden stick was managing to hold its own again the invisible blade, in fact using supreme skill and strength he was beating back the blonde knight with impressive speed.

Yet it seemed that Berserker had even more tricks up his sleeve, try as he might Kayneth was having trouble getting an actual reading on Berserker's stats, on the other hand the female knight's abilities were clear as day for Kayneth. As such Kayneth believed that this was likely due to the thick black aura surrounding the black knight its manifestation prevented others from being able to pick up on what his true abilities might be.

The woman made a hasty dodge to her right as Berserker's club slammed into the concrete street below throwing shards of stone in all directions, unwilling to let his prey slip by that easily the mad warrior effortlessly continued into yet another swing giving his prey no time to react with an attack of her own.

Slowly yet surely she was being pushed into a corner, even though her blade should have been difficult to detect it appeared as if her foe already knew its exact dimensions.

"AARRthhuuRRRRR!" Letting out a roar as another of his furious assaults were deflected yet again Berserker seemed as if there was little that could stop his charge.

Standing on the battle's sidelines, a single woman with snow white hair, likely an Einzbern homunculus, watched the female knight with a look of concern. Though there was little it seemed she could do in terms of direct battle she would occasionally heal the scratches the female knight acquired in her fight.

With all the participants in the battle distracted Kayneth couldn't help but see a chance to act on his own accord. Using a simple magical spell designed to control his voice he attempted to whisper into the ear of the lone Master on the battlefield from the safety of his hidden location.

"Ms. Einzbern I presume? Please, do not be alarmed, I mean you no harm. Yet, I believe this will be the first time we have spoken to one another. My name is Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi, a Master in this war same as you and I wish to offer you a proposition." Judging from the slight change in body stance as well from the way her eyes quickly began to dart around looking for the voice that was ringing through her head it was obvious to Kayneth that she had picked up on his speech.

Though he was sure he could not be seen by any of the engaged parties he could not help but move into a polite bow to show he meant no harm at this current time.

"Allow me to explain. I have been watching your Servant engage that Berserker for some time now. Judging from how things have been going it looks as if your own Servant is at a disadvantage and will likely be forced into revealing one of her Noble Phantasm, as such I would like to offer a helping hand."

Seeing her raise her eyebrow quizzically as if asking what the catch was, Kayneth continued.

"Of course as I am sure you know, nothing in this world is free. Everything comes at a cost and this is what I ask of you in return. If you vow to pledge yourself and your Servant to my cause, I would gladly do all at my disposal to see you through this fight and the rest of the whole war. What say you?"

This request was enough to finally change her focus from the fight towards the disembodied voice. With a strong stance and even stronger words she replied into the empty air around her.

"I am afraid Mr. Kayneth, that I must decline your offer. What you ask of me and my Servant is something that put simply, cannot be done."

It was likely that she had already conveyed a message to her own Servant that another Servant was likely nearby in hiding. It was a shame to Kayneth but had been expecting this outcome, after all, a respectable family like the Einzbern was not about to bend that easily.

"It is a pity that you feel that way, then if you will excuse me."

It was a curt reply but a necessary one. Changing his tone yet again Kayneth then allowed his voice to clearly echo through the residential street throwing the female knight and her foe into a momentary standstill.

"Lancer, I command you to aid Berserker in taking out this female Servant immediately, use all the tricks at your disposal and show her no mercy lest she try to retaliate in turn."

If he could not find an ally in the Einzbern then he would just as easily make his own with Berserker and their Master. In the span of less than a second Diarmuid had appeared before the two engaged forces and with a polite greeting of his own revealed his dual spears before charging straight towards his prey.

* * *

"I told you once foul knight, and I shall do so again. I know not how you know me but as a honorable knight who follows the code of chivalry I will make it my duty to see that you are put down!"

Though it was true the Berserker's attacks potentially outmatched the female knight's own, yet she could not afford to yield in their fight. This black knight despite being fueled by a never ending fountain of rage seemed to know her every move at every corner. No matter what trick she attempted he always seemed one step ahead, from her fighting style to even the size and shape of her sword he knew it all like the back of his hand.

If things continued as they were, she would have little choice but to reveal her own Noble Phantasm, something she preferred not to do this early in the war. To make matters worse, Berserker exuded a thick black aura, one that prevented his identity or any of his unique skills from being seen, it was a perfect combination of factors that prevented Saber from gaining the upper hand.

With his large wooden club, Berserker slammed straight into the side of a building, his strength was so much that his attack went straight through stumbling him for only an instant. Yet in that instant Saber used all her might in a downward swing directly towards Berserker's helm.

Despite being thrown off balance, the mad knight managed to turn his weapon around and blocked the swing of the invisible blade head on preventing any damage to himself. Yet the strain of the direct blow was so much that his great wooden club shattered into two. Even with his weapon destroyed the mad knight never lost his stance. Rather he adapted to the situation wielding the two halves of the branch like a set of smaller clubs.

"AAAaTTtHHUUuurRR!" The ground shook from his horrid roar, standing undaunted from the ear trembling scream, the female knight merely braced herself for another charge ready to continue the fight anew when a booming voice echoed throughout the desolate street.

"Lancer, I command you to aid Berserker in taking out this female Servant immediately use all the tricks at your disposal and show her no mercy lest she try to retaliate in turn."

This was enough to halt the mad warrior in his tracks but only for a split second. As yet another Servant appeared from the blackness of the night materializing his dual spears in hand and causing the female knight to halt and speak his name in surprise.

"Lancer…"

Glancing towards her with a gracious yet battle serious expression the knight of the lance spoke to the both of them.

"Blackened beast and it's Master if they are around, I know not if you can hear me but you have my aid till the female knight has been slain. And as for you Saber, my apologies, but I am sure you realize I mean nothing personal against you or your own Master. I simply follow my Master's orders."

Even though she was by far no slouch in combat she was already at a disadvantage against just Berserker. Though he was hard to read, from his stance and mannerisms alone it was clear to Saber that this newfound Servant was no slouch when it came to combat. With Lancer to aid him she would have little choice but to reveal her own trump card.

'_So it has come to this.' _With that final thought she nodded towards her own Master before readying herself for the next attack. It would by far be a battle of speed, could she activate it before they reached her? She was indeed confident in her own abilities but she was unsure if they would be so lenient.

"And I am sorry as well Lancer, I am sure you understand that with two against one I have little choice but to go all out. Now then, are you ready to receive my Noble Phantasm?"

The winds began to howl and the trees around the cracked streets began to bend from the strain of the power emanating from the sword. Bracing themselves from the intense winds both Lancer and Berserker readied themselves for their own charge.

The magical energy and the winds surrounding the female knight were beginning to reach their apex. From the weapon she held a thin golden layer began to reveal itself amongst the winds. It would be a battle of timing, in the span of a single second the fight would be decided, could Lancer and Berserker make it before she activated her Noble Phantasm? Or would her newfound ability annihilate them single handedly before they could have a chance to react.

Holding her blade high into the air she readied her swing and began to unleash its true power in full, silently praying for the unknown residents of the town that would likely be caught in the aftermath of the blow.

"E-!"

"Halt your actions Saber! There is no need to use that attack."

It was a new voice that echoed throughout the windfilled streets. A voice that was new to both Lancer and his Master. Yet it was one that Berserker and Saber recognized all too well.

"Archer…"

It was a commanding voice, one that shook the very core of every party that could hear it. Even Berserker who was caught mid charge halted his movements upon hearing it. A fifth Servant had made his presence known, high atop a light post he stood as if looking down on every party involved in this petty fight.

"It would be a shame if my bride were to be injured here, I shall therefore lend allow myself to grace you with the presence of my aid. Such is the will of the king!" With golden hair, deep red eyes, and a golden set of armor the golden figure made his quick descent from the night sky stepping safely onto the ground below.

Like a radiant star reflecting on an infinitely deep pool he shone with a magnificent radiance. As if expecting the other Servants to bow in his glory he stood taller than any other, arms crossed, it was as if he was expecting a slew of offerings from his appearance alone.

Yet even amongst all of this Saber continued to stand, undaunted at this new Servant's appearance. With a fiercer voice than ever before it was clear that she was not about to take this any further. "Archer… I have told you before and my decision was final. I will never accept your crude offering, now leave!"

Her decision was firm, yet Archer stood there amused by the ramblings of the one he called his bride.

With a graceful smile he dismissed what he believed to be nothing more than petty resistance. "Perhaps you will need a little more… Persuading. But do not fear, I am sure that in time, you will clearly see this is the best option available to you."

Though his guard appeared to be low Saber knew better than any of them that it was far from the truth. She was completely aware that if she took even a single step forwards she would be taking a full frontal assault from the Golden King's arsenal.

The other two Servants on the other hand had no clue or just did not care. With yet another roar from beneath his helmet Berserker turned his attention from Saber to the newfound Archer. It was as if a switch had been flipped inside him, there was another howl that reverberated so loudly it broke any of the remaining windows in the vicinity.

His ally, Lancer, seeing Berserker change pace also followed suit. It was true that his orders were to aid in Saber's defeat, but as long as this newfound Servant remained it would be impossible for that plan to continue any further. As such Archer's defeat was the priority of the current mission.

Expecting the change of events unfolding before them, Archer remained unamused as he spoke nonchalantly to Saber. "Now then, as I said before, there is no need for you to fight, leave these fools to me."

A single snap of his finger as the very air around him shook and dematerialized into a wall of swords showing themselves before the golden king as if ready to do his every bidding.

"Now, as the king decrees, you will both die!"

Without even batting an eye the blades that had emerged from behind Archer rocketed forth shooting out in rapid succession towards both of the charging Servants.

Despite their hasty alliance, the two Servant changed into completely different tactics in an attempt to fend of the the onslaught of blades.

Berserker halted in his movements, readying his stance he braced for the first longsword that was over three feet in length. With a quickened duck he avoided the blade by a mere inch and grabbed its hilt as he flew past him twisting it around him and slamming it into an oncoming spear while also knocking away an enormous hammer that was headed directly towards his face.

The momentum of the dual impact was enough to move Berserker back just a few inches which he then used to avoid yet another incoming shortsword, grabbing hold of it he used it to repel yet another set of swiftly moving curved swords. It was by far an impressive display of agility and speed that even the other Servants would have trouble imitating but how long would he be able to keep it up before the damage caught up to him?

While Berserker was countering the volleys of Noble Phantasms head on, Lancer was using a completely different tactic. Using his superior speed he was outrunning the blades before they could even hit their mark. Dashing towards the nearby wall of a house he used his momentum to run alongside the wall as a hail of swords rained down on him missing him by mere centimeters and slamming straight through the cardboard like siding of the residence.

Despite his excellent agility a few blades still found their mark, unable to dodge Lancer used his spears to repel the blades wherever he could. Before he could even attempt to approach Archer's unguarded side yet another volley of blades met their mark directly in front of him forcing Lancer to change course.

Keeping both forces at bay, the Golden Knight was not amused at their futile attempts to break through his guard.

Saber on the other hand had elected to take a silent approach, from the newly formed sidelines of the battlefield, she watched onwards as the three Servants battle each other. Perhaps because of this she realized that if she intervened at all she would become the focus of any of the three if not all of them.

The Berserker eager to end this battle as quickly as possible sped up his movements even further, grasping at a dark black blade he flung straight at the Archer who proceeded to avoid the attack with a simple movement of his body.

Seeing his ally temporarily distract Archer, Lancer pushed his body into an all out sprint electing to evade the oncoming rain of steel head on, jumping directly over an incoming halberd he sped past the point that he had been stopped before, in a mere instant he would be upon Archer.

Yet before he could even reach him yet another dozen portals opened up and shot even more blades directly at Lancer and his surroundings forcing him once more to retreat back losing any ground he had just risked his neck to gain.

These attacks were far different than the normal cannonball fire that Rider was able to unleash. Unlike those flaming balls of steel which could be repelled with enough equal force every single weapon the Golden Archer unleashed possessed the strength of a Noble Phantasm. If even a single one was allowed to hit the damage they could unleash could potentially be catastrophic.

"Do you really think I will let you get close to me?" With a mocking tone, Archer continued to maintain his strength even amongst the Heroic Spirits.

As their options began to dwindle neither of them seemed to have a way to penetrate through, if things continued to escalate as they were retreat or death were the only options before them. They needed to do something, and fast, lest they fall prey to the might of a rain of Noble Phantasms.

Yet before such a plan could even be thought up, before Archer could finish them off, or before Kayneth could even react, yet another voice rang throughout the battlefield, halting even Archer's assault from the sheer shock of its appearance.

"Jeanne!"

It was a howling scream of a madman that sent shivers down Saber's spine yet again, however though it was different from Berserker this scream was nothing more than something that held an eerie creepiness to its tone. With a thin scratchy high pitched voice the unknown figure continued.

"What are you doing!? Fraternizing with such vile scum, that is so unbecoming of a saint like yourself! I think it's about time I took action myself, worry no longer! I will not allow your holy aura to be tainted any further than it already has! Come my allies, go and aid my dear Jeanne, rescue her from these foul villains and return her to me so that I may rectify her mistakes!

An enormous swath of magical energy began to echo throughout the battered and barren streets as creature after hideous looking creature began to emerge from the opposite ends of the streets before them. The blackened masses began to let out inhuman screeches as they slowly marched forth directly towards Saber ignoring the other Servants as they made their way through.

The very aura they gave off was one of dread and hopelessness, a feeling as all hope was gone, like a sickly army they made their way past the halted Berserker and Lancer, and even around Archer.

However, this would soon to be their own undoing.

"You dare to ignore the King's decree and take his bride for yourself!"

A blinding light emerged forth with even faster speed than before. In the span of milliseconds the creature nearest to Archer exploded in a rain of gore and fire. One by one the remaining creatures quickly followed suit as their very existence were wiped from the face of the earth in the intense activation of the Noble Phantasms Archer had begun to release.

It was as if something had snapped in the back of Archer's brain. Before any of the Servants could even believe their eyes, the entire army of octopus like monsters was gone. The only remnants of their existences were the enormous craters that dotted the landscape where their corpses should have been.

"Wh… What have you done!? My Jeanne! You stand in the way of my precious Jeanne!? I won't forgive this! This isn't over! Jeanne will be mine!"

The voice began to fade into the nether from whence it came, it was in such a shock that it was clearly not expecting its entire army to be wiped out so easily by Archer's attack.

The anger in Archer's eyes was not enough to cause him to visibly detest them, yet even still Kayneth couldn't help but reach for opportunity. The Golden Servant was distracted, perhaps now was the only chance they would have?

'_Go Lancer, before he regains his composure!'_

Reacting instantly to his Master's command, Diarmuid darted off creating an enormous vacuum behind him from the sheer speed. With spear outstretched he charged straight towards Archer's turned backside in an attempt to take him down in a single strike. Yet before his blood red spear could make it's mark he found it halted by another red spear.

The spear in fact was not just red, it was Diarmuid's own spear in every way, down to the very thinly edge details that were etched across its crimson exterior. Even worse, Lancer could feel the energies emanating from the spear, it was clear that not only did they look the same, they also held the same anti-magical properties.

'_It couldn't be…'_

"Just what do you think you are doing, mongrel?"

The shock of seeing his own weapon used against him was enough to send Diarmuid leaping back with all his might, in desperation he jumped back and braced himself for the inevitable rain of blades that he was about to receive, yet surprise dawned upon his face when he discovered there was no such rain. Rather Archer stood there, an annoyed look donning across his face as he stared deep into Lancer's soul.

"Hmph. Consider yourself lucky. Had it not been for my Master's foolishness I would have responded in even three times the strength than what you just witnessed. Saber, remember my decree, I will eagerly be awaiting the moment you finally fall for me. Until then, struggle as much as you desire."

And with those final words the Golden King turned his attention away from the two remaining Servants and walked off into the destroyed streets fading into the darkness from whence he came.

Seeing the strength he had just unleashed none of the Servants dared to follow, in fact using the confusion of Lancer's attack to her advantage Saber had completely retreated with her Master leaving only Lancer and Berserker standing amongst the wreckage.

Perhaps he was being held back by some invisible force, or maybe he was feeling grateful for the aid. Regardless Berserker refused to attack Lancer and simply grunted before leaping off into the darkness on his own in a direction completely different from the others.

The battle was over, and the Servants as well as their Masters were gone. With the boundary disappearing it would only be a matter of time before the normal citizens awoke to the sudden destruction of the nearby homes. And it was something Kayneth would rather avoid seeing, though he was unable to gain any more kills in the battle the insight he had seen into the abilities of the other four was something he believed valuable to both himself and his Servant.

Out of the four, Kayneth believed that Archer was certainly the biggest threat, yet even then he held an interest in Berserker. That maddened warrior would certainly be easier to control than any of the sane Servants. Perhaps in time, he could use both Berserker and it's Master to his advantage.

But that would be a thought for the future, for now it was time to return home, awake and unharmed this time. Surely Sola would be pleased at this outcome?


	7. Chapter 6 - The Saboteur

The trip back was as peaceful as ever, even as they left the now deserted battlefield there were few signs of any living creatures both human and animal. Perhaps all the recent fighting had leaked through the bounded fields scaring them off?

As they returned, Kayneth remained on high alert just in case anyone thought to capitalize on his midnight stroll. However, when the welcome sight of the Hyatt came into view he quickly found that his worries were unfounded.

Maybe he was feeling paranoid after witnessing a night go by so smoothly or maybe he was just simply on edge, regardless he continued to be cautious even as the doorman greeted him with a welcome smile.

Stepping into the lobby he glanced around the nearly empty room, examining the faces of all the normal folks he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps it really was nothing more than his imagination, regardless he could not help but feel like something was off.

It was as if there was a tiny monotonous ticking sound in the back of his head that would not leave no matter how much he tried to force it to go.

_'Lancer, do you sense anything out of the ordinary?'_

Asking his Servant if he felt anything Kayneth continued to look around the grand open lounge. Heavily decorated with various silver and golden statues an elaborate design covered most of the walls. Even the elevator had a sense of elegance to it with hand crafted golden panel. The only thing that stood out among the expensive antiques was purpose the smaller service elevator that allowed travel to an underground parking garage. Parking garage?

_'No Master I do not feel a thing, is something the matter?'_

It was only a hunch but that direction seemed to have a stronger pull than the others, perhaps it was worth investigating just a little more thoroughly.

_'No Lancer, there is nothing wrong. I want you to return to my abode and watch over Sola. I shall be taking a small reprieve for just a few minutes. If I am not back within the hour then sound an alarm, otherwise mention none of this to her.'_

Even from his spiritual form Kayneth could feel his Servant give a quizzical look before agreeing to the order and disappearing. Nonetheless, Kayneth was not one to skip out on something odd no matter how minute the detail. Checking his body for the small arsenal of Mystic Codes he kept by his side he left at once for the small service elevator.

* * *

A dark ricocheted off a nearby wall halting its momentum only after lodging itself far into the concrete of a support pillar. Having only missed its target by a few mere centimeters the shadow could not help but click its tongue in annoyance. Yet before its prey could react two more black daggers were thrown at outstanding speeds one in each direction that its prey might escape to.

Watching the prey throw itself down onto the floor as the darks sailed harmlessly above the shadow chuckled to itself as a third unseen dagger flew straight underneath a nearby parked vehicle digging itself far into the elbow of the man.

A grunt of pain could be heard but there was no scream. Whoever his prey was, it was certainly experienced in the art of combat. Most other humans would have begged for mercy by now or already been killed. Yet this man was special.

Even though it's snow white mask, the shadow squinted and awaited to see what the trench-coated man would do next. The shadow had already been hit uselessly by a volley of gunfire before so by now his prey had likely realized that such modern weapon were useless against a Servant.

The Assassin that had been sent to watch over the hotel had found the man skulking about in the openness of the parking garage had sense that he was likely a Master. Seeing an opportunity he decided that perhaps it might be a good chance to take a participant out of the War. But it was proving to be far more of a challenge than he first thought.

Seeing his prey's ability to survive the shadow doubted that was the only thing this man had in store. He could tell after all, this prey, this man in the trench coat, was very similar to the shadow's own nature. Though their paths through life might have been different, the methodologies and mercilessness that each held could never be any more closer than they were.

And so the shadow chuckled yet again when a flash of light and explosion of smoke were flung in his general direction sending the trench-coated man into a full on run that was impressive even for a Servant's standard.

Another volley of gunfire was met with the precise flinging of a few dirks and the Assassin couldn't help but click his tongue yet again as his own dirks missed their marks by mere inches gouging themselves into nearby concrete.

Even with all his tricks and traps the prey was of no real threat to the shadow that much was certain. And so the shadow had decided he would make a game out of this, if the prey could reach the exit door before the shadow could kill him, then it would be the shadow's own defeat and he would be free to live yet another day.

There were at least thirty feet separating the trench-coat man and his escape, with numerous cars and huge support pillars dotting the landscape in between. With so many different locations for the man to hide the shadow was at a clear disadvantage from its current location. Even so it refused to move any closer perhaps out of stubbornness for the sake of the 'game'.

If the prey had made the first move last time it was then the Assassin's turn to take action. Materializing another five daggers into his hand he quickly aimed before launching off at maddening speeds. The first two were meant to disorient, with a bright flash of light and sparks they easily cut through the nearby light sources sending the man into relative darkness. The other three dirks were flung straight into nearby walls, however unlike last time they continued their momentum ricocheting off of their original targets and flying straight into the direction of the prey.

Seeing his prey jump into action the instant the dirks were flung, he chuckled to himself yet again as his daggers missed the vitals shedding his coat in the process. It was indeed difficult to get a good eye on the man's figure when he hid it under such a deep coat, or perhaps it was due to Assassin's shortcomings as an E rank Servant. Regardless it seemed his prey was not about to let the game continue on any longer than it should.

As the man threw himself into the side of a nearby car setting off its alarm in the process, the Assassin could feel his prey taking a deep breath before preparing himself for the next charge.

_'Twenty three meters to go.'_

In a blur the prey charged straight from the safety of his location right into the open just as another round of dirks rocketed off each one making its mark directly into the blur's exposed backside.

_'Very clever…'_

The prey had sacrificed his coat for an opportunity to gain ground. By throwing it off first as a distraction the man had covered huge amounts of territory while taking relatively little harm in the process.

_'Eight meters, to go. Time is running out.'_

The next action from both men would decide the results of the fight. Unwilling to lose the fight, the shadow readied his largest volley yet ten dirks before taking careful aim at each spot the prey was likely to go when it too also made its move.

Even for the Servant it felt like time was slowing down as the excitement before the ultimate climax began to gather. In the span of under three seconds the duel would be over. Pushing its arms back and bracing himself the Assassin squinted as he awaited prey to move even another inch.

'Three… two... '

A mechanical ding echoed through the silent garage as a nearby elevator opened. The Assassin surprised from the sudden shine of light had lost his focus but his prey had not. Using the newfound help the man made his final charge and blasted his way through the exit door and into the night outside.

'_Tch. Saved from an outside source, very well you may live… Just this once.'_

"Who dares to enter my domain unannounced!?" As Kayneth entered into the garage the shadow quickly turned its attention to the newfound Man who held a similar feeling of being a Master..

His boisterous reply was quickly met by the barrage of three more daggers straight in his direction. It was a lightning fast reply so quick were the dirks that not even Kayneth's eyes could track them, yet they were all replied by the emergence of a silver wall that covered the entirety of the Elevator door stopping the daggers in their tracks.

The continuous beeps of the elevator began to ring throughout the darkened garage as Kayneth's newfound defensive structure kept them from closing completely, from his position within he was relatively safe from the Servant's area of destruction.

"So it was a Servant… Is this really all you can do?" It was a mockery towards the Assassin's fortitude as a Servant and one that began to grate on the masked man's nerves. He much preferred the quiet yet energetic attitude of his original prey, not the barking ramblings of this mad Master.

'_Damnit, now I'm getting angry.' _Unwilling to let the comments go unanswered another storm of daggers flew in Kayneth's direction and yet again they were reflected by his Mystic Code.

"What a pathetic set of weapons, unable to even pierce the Volumen Hydrargyrum, my own Lancer was able to do that, are you sure you are even worth my time? Perhaps I could send one of my pets to play with you instead."

With a snap of his fingers Kayneth signaled into the darkness of the roof. A moment of silence passed before Assassin felt it, the approaching magical energy of a spirit.

If it was a Servant Assassin would be put at a great disadvantage, he needed more than himself if he was going to take on a being of that caliber. Yet instead what appeared from the roof straight by Kayneth's side was a silver white wolf.

"Awoooooooo!"

It was only a familiar, though seemingly bred for combat it was nothing more than a dog, something the Assassin believed was well within his capabilities of dealing with.

"Now then, let's see just how strong you are. Go my pet! Rip this Servant to shreds!"

With another howl the beast lunged straight for the shadow, its mouth forming into a snarl it charged with impressive agility.

Yet even with that it proved to be too slow for the Assassin. With even greater maneuverability the mask jumped and clung to the roof high above the familiar, chuckling to itself as he soared high above the hound.

The beast unwilling to let his prey go that easily jumped straight for the shadow just as the Assassin reached into its cloak and took from it a small black vial. In the blink of an in eye the vial was unsealed and a fuse lit.

Before the animal could even react the vial was thrown from the Assassin's hands and a huge explosion rocketed around the empty garage.

Dust and debris filled the darkened hallways as the ground rocked from the force of the shock-wave. Even behind his silver barrier, Kayneth covered his eyes with his sleeve as his ears run from the sound of the blast.

There was no possible way his familiar could have survived such an attack unscathed, and surely enough he could no longer feel its presence. Even so, Kayneth could help but smirk as he uttered his next incantation.

_"Caveam…"_

A golden cage swung down from the concrete roof and crashed into the Assassin's body. Forcing the Servant to the ground it was enchanted to prevent even the escape of a low rank Servant like the shadow.

"Did you not hear what I said? This is _my domain_, and as such you are no match for me or my mystic codes. And what a pity, it seems like you don't even possess the Magic Resistance skills that so many other Servants do. Well then, I suppose this is goodbye."

It was a golden spiritual barrier, one of the many Kayneth had brought with him to contain the vile spirits that now wandered the halls of his fortress. Even a spirit like a Servant would have trouble fighting it off. With great rage the Assassin attempted to slam into the cage with all the force his body could muster.

The forces exerted from the tethered Assassin caused the cage to strain as it was pushed past its limits. The time for Kayneth to act was already running short. Without missing a moment he moved onto his next chant.

_"XIII coordinare."_

The golden bars shuddered and screamed as the black hands pried at them with all their might.

_"XLV per coordinare."_

_A single golden bar snapped from the sheer pressures of the Assassin's growing desperation. The cage's limits had long been surpassed and was quickly being dismantled from the Servant's sheer strength._

"_Ego sum judex caeli cum absolutum imperium voluntatis , remissionis redemptionem remissionem furor fatis! Spiritualis terminus..."_

The second foundation was ripped from its stranglehold as the Assassin neared closer and closer to its escape. Yet it was already too late as Kayneth reached the final verse.

"_Incipe!"_

_From the heavens above a pillar of silver white radiated down slamming into the desperate Assassin's helpless body._

"**GGIgigIGIGIIAAAA**_**!"**_

Roaring out in pain the shadow shrieked as every atom including its very core was methodically ripped to shreds. It was a truly torturous process but an effective one as within seconds the spidery figure began to waver and melt into a charred black pile of goo.

Flames licked at the helpless white mask as it screamed for the pain to end, yet there would be no mercy, after all, this was the Holy Grail War, and the perfect location to test new concoctions no matter how deadly they might seem.

And after what seemed like a lifetime, the Servant was no more. The howls of pain had finally halted and the charred black puddle of the Servant once known as Assassin had begun to fade away into nothing more than magical dust.

Seeing his attack prove to be so successful brought satisfaction to Kayneth. Completely ignorant of the Assassin's death throes he was already working on perfecting the process altogether. After all, it was a counter ritual designed around the very concept of the spiritual cores that tied all Servants together. As powerful as a Servant was they all had the same limitations, and when given the proper opportunity those limitations could be exploited, such was the theory that Kayneth had been eager to test.

"The un-summoning ritual seems to have been a success, though the cage looks like it needs more refinement if even a low class spirit like that would nearly break through in such a short amount of time. The screams were likely a result of the pain of its Spiritual Core being forcefully ripped from its body but the side effects were small enough that the success was satisfactory. But perhaps if the spiritual limiters were retun…"

Taking forth some paper and a pen from within his jacket he rapidly began to write down calculations about the ritual he had just witnessed. It was a true grand ritual one that had taken a week to prepare and one that could only be performed from the limits of his own hotel as such his mind was already far lost to the thoughts of his spells performance...

* * *

At least ten minutes has passed since Kayneth had finished taking his notes and glancing around the destruction of the parking garage. He would certainly have to call the church about this later. While it was true he could fix it back up on his own he preferred to leave such meaningless task to those more suited towards them.

However, before he left he happened to notice the single brown and shredded trench coat lying on the floor. It was likely a remnant of the one who Assassin had been engaging with before Kayneth had arrived on the scene.

Shuffling through the pockets he did happen to find various modern pieces of equipment such as explosives and capsules that when triggered released huge amounts of smoke, but there was nothing of use to Kayneth. To him, it was nothing more than a poor man's versions of a combat suit.

Even so perhaps it might one day give a clue towards the culprit's identity. Electing to the take the stairs instead of the dented husk of the elevator Kayneth continued to think about the night's events.

Now it was no longer just the fight near the crossing that concerned him, others were already beginning to sneak around the depths of his abode. Though he detested the thought he knew he was lucky there were not more of them just yet. Perhaps it was best that he took action before they caused any further harm?

Not only would it sent a message to those who dared to defile his space of living, but it would also potentially deal with anymore unwelcome sights.

After finishing his climb he returned to the elevator and eventually crossed through the door of his base. Unsurprisingly there were no further interruptions in fact things were quickly returning to their peaceful selves.

As he was heading towards the kitchen to brew some of his favorite tea, the door to Sola's room opened. Walking out she quickly began to head towards the front door of the hotel room just as Kayneth began to share a friendly greeting.

"As Sola, excellent timing. It looks like things have begun to ramp up, I have some things I would like to discuss with you."

Dismissing his proposal with a wave of her hand she continued to walk towards the door. "Tell me about it later, I am going to catch a breath of fresh air."

Seeing that she had no intention to stay and talk Kayneth moved quickly to intercept her before she could leave. Surprised by his sudden burst of action she halted in her tracks and waited to see just what was so important.

"Outside? My dear fiance I'm afraid you cannot afford to do something so dangerous. On the contrary, there have been multiple intruders prowling around the hotel, as such I have come to the decision that now, more than ever your safety is paramount to me. As such I implore you to stay indoors for the time being, until things have sorted themselves out."

Sola froze from the shock, her mind was rushing with a multitude of thoughts until they eventually settle on a single realization. "Keep me safe!? You, the esteemed and honorable Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi wish to keep me safe!? So is that all I am? Some sort of object you are to protect inside some dark and decrepit vault until the day I can produce your oh so precious heir!?"

It was too late to take back what he had said, the damage had been done. Regardless of what he had actually meant it was clear to the nobleman that his fiance was at an anger beyond his comprehension. Unable to come up with a proper retaliation he stuttered out what he believed would help his case.

"I-I, I meant nothing of the sort! I only meant to say that things have begun to get more hectic, and I only wanted to keep you out of danger."

Yet even this mediocre response only proved to annoy Sola even further. With her finger outstretched she began to insult the very man she was supposed to be in love with.

"Of course you did, that's all you ever wanted to do, sure sure. Keep me out of danger so that I can produce for you the ultimate heir of your dreams or whatever it is your dull mind thinks that marriage is all about."

Right on cue, before Sola could continue any further and say something truly horrific, Lancer appeared between the two of them. His voice the only voice of reason to her he attempted to cool the situation.

"Ms. Sola! I beg of you, please understand. My Master only wishes the best for you even if that means a few days of discomfort. Can you not see that? Please, reconsider your thoughts on the matter."

As if to say he would whole-fully take all of her rage the Servant bowed his head low to the ground and awaited the storm. Yet as he waited he soon found that her rage had already began to calm itself.

Giving one final longing and sorrowful glance towards Lancer she gave a final glare towards Kayneth before turning her back to the two of them and storming off to her room slamming the door shut so roughly that a nearby picture was thrown from the wall.

No matter how he looked at what had just happened Kayneth knew he had just been humiliated. And the one he now believed to be at fault was none other than his own Servant. Turning to him the nobleman stared Lancer down straight in the eyes before replying in a harsh and unforgiving manner.

"Lancer, you are to guard the entrance of this hotel below my fortifications. If anyone who appears to be suspicious enters its boundaries alert me at once, otherwise remain silent like the knight you claim to be."

With those final comments he gave his Servant a final look of disgust before heading off to his own room for the night.

_'Perhaps it might be best to stay in doors and focus on the strengthening of my fortifications after all…'_ Were his final thoughts as his mind drifted away and the fatigue of the day took over.


	8. Chapter 7 - The Curse of Affection

He had always remembered her face during their first and only meeting before their engagement. Even through her stony visage he found he nothing short of charming, the fiery red hair, her deep yellow eyes, even her independent stature, there was simply something about her that interested him.

When she introduced herself as Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri the second sibling to the Sophia-Ri family, he knew that she was indeed proper for his own future. Though she had no crest of her own, the lineage that she carried behind her would be more than enough to cement his own future.

He was a proper magus through and through, from his own beliefs to the ways he taught his students there not a single thing anyone at the clocktower could say against him, and he knew this perfectly well. As such finding a mate was just as important as continuing his research, even so, he still couldn't help but find a troublesome outcome after their first meeting. At first he passed it off as nothing but a simple daydream, but as the days began to pass he slowly began to realize just what was going on.

He had fallen in love with her.

He was unsure why it had happened, after all, others might pass her off as nothing more than a horrid wench with a poisoned personality. Be he was different, regardless of what it might entail he decided that she was going to be the one he was to marry. Even so, he knew his situation was different from the norm. He genuinely thought that a lady such as herself should be impressed rather than coerced into marriage. He knew it was a silly though, yet even still he wanted her to fall in love with him.

And as such it was partially because of these maddening thoughts that he decided to enter a war such as this. Putting his life on the line for the sake of prestige and his fiance's love, was that not the greatest task he could give himself?

Yet he was perfectly aware of his situation. His Servant, an ancient tool destined to fight under him was attempting a coup of his love, and he was struggling to fight back. It was both his greatest curse and strength, after all, as a superior Master with superior tactical strategies there were none who could stand against him. Even so, his strongest tool if left unchecked was going to consume the both of them right from under his nose.

He could not let it happen, he would not left is happen.

Tomorrow he would get to the bottom of his Servant's supposed loyalty, after all Diarmuid Ua Duibhne very nature was that of a scoundrel, one who stole the wives of greater men. And if that was the case Kayneth would just have to be stronger than any of the men before him. He would stand taller than even the great Fion Mac Cumhail, he would prove that he stood proud as the prodigy of the clock tower and the bearer of the title of El-Melloi.

Even through his distant dreams he continued to think of only her, of his beloved, and the bright future that the two of them were destined to share. He would do all he could to make things right between them, and he would make her fall in love with him no matter the cost.

Page Break

As day broke, Kayneth once more found himself alone in his room, his head was pounding from the lack of a proper meal last night and it appeared that it was already well past the time for a good cup of morning tea. As he completed his daily rituals and dressed himself he was slightly disappointed there was no interruptions from Sola. Finishing up he quietly left his own room and headed for the phone to take care of his morning meal. Though he had made absolutely sure that none of the common folks would be permitted inside any of his floors he still relied on them to craft the meals. This way he could focus on more important matters while also getting a nourishing breakfast, in particular something close to his homeland was requested.

"Yes, of course Sir Kayneth, we will have it to you in a moment's time."

After hanging up he immediately left for the nearby kitchen where he quickly set to work on brewing his finest cup of tea. Specially imported over from Britain directly from the finest gardens in the land the fragrance of the Ginger Tea was perfectly suitable towards calming his mind and allowing himself to focus on what matters were truly important.

Just as the tea was almost finished brewing the telephone rang and upon answering it Kayneth approved the entry of a single man onto the floor of his residence. Of course allowing them into his hotel itself was out of the question, even so one of this humanoid familiars welcomed the hotel staff as he left the elevator, he then received the meal and sent the Servant on his way back down.

Such was one of the small parts of Kayneth's daily rituals here in the Hyatt, perhaps it might seem complex to others but for Kayneth it was just simply another normal affair. As the humanoid familiar entered his residence it calmly left the silver tray on the small but elegant dining room table before disappearing off into the nether from whence it came leaving Kayneth to his morning meal.

A small silver tray filled with a variety of cold but elegantly cut sandwiches lay before him, various exotic meats such as quail and pheasant filled the hand baked breads while others contained aged preserves. Reaching for and biting into a marmalade filled sandwich, he began to plan the day out ahead of time. Even as he finished his meal and began to sip on the ginger tea he was disappointed when Sola continued to hide herself in her room.

_'__Perhaps she just wants time to reorganize her thoughts, if that is the case then I will take this time to do the same.'_

It was through thoughts such as these that he finished his tea and set forth onto refining some of the various magical processes that surrounded his fortress.

"It may be best to focus on the completion of a few more bounded layers around the lower ends of the fortress, I could also work towards expanding the range of a few of the traps I was unable to complete earlier…"

By talking out loud he aimed to reassure himself that this was indeed the right thing to do. Even so, he couldn't help but retain the nervousness that echoed throughout his head. He still couldn't help but feel like something was off, it was as if something else was bothering him...

Glancing towards Sola's door his mind continued to wander. He knew it was likely that she simply did not want to meet with him after last night's confrontation yet he couldn't help but be concerned about it.

_'__Perhaps I should pay her a visit?' _

Their first meeting was less than a year ago and still Kayneth continued to notice various quirks about her. From the way she preferred to dress in only the most modern of magi fashion to how she always faintly smelled of oranges, they were all things that Kayneth admired about her. And as such perhaps it was best that he attempted to respect the privacy she so dearly requested of him.

Instead of trying to deal with his fiance just yet he would talk to the one who was the source of most his current woes, his Servant.

He was supposed to act like nothing more than a puppet, a guardian and a hound who obeyed the Master's every whim. Yet Kayneth could feel it, no matter how hard Lancer tried to hide it, deep within the magus knew all too well what kind of intentions his Servant might have. As such Kayneth knew that he had to put a stop to it before those feelings could develop any further. He needed to take action, and cease his Servant's needless meddling before there was any more damage.

And perhaps the best way to do that was to confront his Servant directly so that the Master might better be able to understand his Servant.

His tea was emptied and gone now, and the clock's hand signalled the passing of yet another hour. Tapping his finger in mild frustration from his attempts at trying to figure out his Servant he could finally stand it no more.

_'__Lancer return to me, I have something we must address.'_

The words has barely even left his thoughts when Diarmuid materialized before him. With a loyal bow he spoke of only concern for his Master.

"Yes milord, how might I be of service?"

His obedience was without a doubt genuine, even Kayneth was having trouble doubting his loyalty, yet he still remained strong as he began to question his Servant.

"Tell me Lancer, what is your purpose?"

Sensing that perhaps he was being tested the knight stood tall and gave his textbook answer.

"To serve my lord and fight in the Holy Grail War."

It was of course the answer Kayneth had been expecting and as such he moved on to the second part.

"And what is your wish? Why have you come to fight?"

It was a question that had been brought up on the very first night of their meeting and again as expected his answer was just the same as before.

"I have but one desire, to follow my lord's every command. Nothing less and nothing more."

Again another obvious answer, but that only caused an annoying twinge in Kayneth's eye. With his accusing glare at full power he made his final question known.

"Then tell me, why are you undermining me with that hideous mark of yours!?"

Taken aback by the sudden accusation Lancer stood there frozen in shock. It was another few moments before he could utter any sort of reply.

"I-I'm sorry Master, I'm not sure I understand."

His Servant refused to answer properly, he wanted to play mind games with his Master, and that only caused Kayneth be annoyed even further. If his rage wasn't checked it was likely that his Servant would not be standing there unscathed for much longer, and that would not be good for either of them. Rather than continuing his accusations Kayneth decided a more subtle approach was necessary.

"Fine, so you will continue regardless of what truths come to light, if that is the case then perhaps a more 'appropriate' mission is more suited to a man of your stature. And I believe I know just such a mission."

Like a loyal hound Lancer's ears perked at the sound of a job that he might be able to carry out. But still attempting to control the situation and keep it from deteriorating any further he remained quiet to see just what his Master had in store for hirm.

"Lancer, I want you to run the perimeter of the whole city of Fuyuki, do not come back until this task is complete. Do you understand?"

It was by no means a glorious task but even still the Servant was by no means phased by the idiotic command.

"Very well then, if that is my Master's command then that is what shall be done, I will return within the next few hours."

In a flash of dust his Servant vanished off to complete his task, leaving Kayneth to be disturbed by his Servant's inability to stand up against what amounted to nothing more than useless dirty work.

_'__Fine, if that is how he wishes to play it then let it be so. As long as he continues to hide his desire deep within I will continue to find more 'tasks' for him to complete.'_

With his Servant now gone Kayneth was free to focus on other matters, in particular the defenses that covered his hotel. It was true that the strongest and thickest of the bounded layers surrounded mostly the top ten floors, but the rest of the hotel's base was sorely lacking. Even if it was only to a small degree it might serve him well to expand the layers even further down.

With that decision set in stone Kayneth continued to spend the next two hours refining the layers that had already been constructed and expanding them even further down. The furnaces that fueled his massive magical constructs would easily be able to cover the extra slack the expanded barriers would need, as such the development of the fields went along smoothly and by the time Lancer had returned another three layers of the hotel had been covered with the most necessary of barriers.

Unfortunately due to the people living within these floors, Kayneth was unable to give them stronger fortifications as they would likely start to affect those who resided there. Regardless it would be easy enough to expand them if the situation called for it.

"I have completed your orders Master and have detected nothing out of the ordinary, is there anything else you need of me?"

His Servant had obeyed flawlessly even going so far as to check for any Servants that might be around. But even so Kayneth was not satisfied with this outcome, it was clear his Servant needed more work if his mind was to be examined more thoroughly, perhaps a more difficult task was necessary then?

"Very well then Lancer, here is my next assignment."

Taking from one of his coat pockets a large sum of yen he threw it towards Lancer and stated his command.

"There is a very rare type of tea that can be found in this city. The name of this tea is Gyokuro, your task is to locate and purchase some of this tea, however you are to only speak in your native Gaelic tongue. You are not to speak a word of Japanese other than the name of the tea, is that clear?"

It was an insane task, something any sane person would have shut down the instant they heard it. But as he was about to prove, his Servant was truly that, a Servant.

"If that is my Master's command, then I will follow it to the letter. If you will excuse me, then I will be off."

Vanishing once more he left to fulfill his task leaving Kayneth once more to himself.

It was odd to Kayneth, why was his Servant so obedient? Without a second thought he would go to commit to a task without complaint no matter how idiotic or mundane it was. Then why? Just what was his Servant's ultimate goal?

Just why was he so interested in Sola? It was aggravating to say the least, Kayneth was perfectly aware of the legends that Diarmuid Ua Duibhne carried with him. But even still he truly thought no harm would come to either him or his fiance.

It was then that it hit him. It was already well into the afternoon and Sola had still not come out of her room.

"Just what could she be doing in there?"

Perhaps it was finally time to check on her, he has waited long enough after all and his patience was already stretched thin.

Walking over to her door Kayneth nervously knocked lightly and awaited a response. However when none came he knocked even harder, and then harder a third time when silence continued.

Mustering his courage as a dread feeling began to fill his chest Kayneth then spoke out loud enough for anyone in the room to hear.

"S-Sola? Are you in there? If you are then I am coming in!"

Opening the door Kayneth walked in and glanced around to find not a soul in sight, the dread feeling sunk even deeper as a hint of desperation began to befall him. Shivering from the wind that blew about due to an open window he was about to call out for her when it hit him.

Why was a window open on the top floor of a skyscraper?

Rushing over to it Kayneth glanced out as his vision blurred from the sheer height he was at. The desperation was now turning to anxiety as what he feared the most was quickly turning to reality. He knew it was not going to help the situation but even still he began calling out for her.

"Sola! Sola! SOLA!"

He was seriously considering jumping out of the window to see if he could catch any sign of the kidnapper, however before he could muster the courage a large impact slammed against his head.

As he attempted to turn to see who had done it his vision blackened and a final word whispered from his lips as the world vanished before him.

"Sola…"

Page Break

When he awoke he found himself haphazardly thrown into a chair once more in the living room. His vision was still blurry as his head was pounding from the shock of whatever had hit him. However it did not take long for Kayneth realize the urgency of the situation. Using whatever energy his hazy senses could muster. Nearly collapsing from the disorientation his mind was going through he managed to crawl to his feet as he continued to shout her name and quickly began to call back his Servant.

"Sola!"

However before he could activate his Command Seal the resounding voice of a nearby presence caused him to freeze.

"Will you shut up already! Half the city can hear you at this rate, I swear…"

Glancing over to his side he found the very woman he was just so panicked about standing there with a beleaguered expression covering her face. Stunned to see her, he attempted to stutter out a response. Perhaps it was just an illusion brought about by hysteria?

"B-but I thought you were… The open window... I mean wasn't it… Uhhh, well I am glad to see you are unharmed."

Holding her hand to her forehead as if she could feel the anxiety in the room Sola's responses were as curt as always with the addition of annoyance as it was clear she was in no mood to deal with this nonsense right now.

"Of course I am! What kind of maddened delusions are you having now? And how could you have forgotten? I requested a window that could be opened so that I could enjoy the cool breezes."

It was from this annoyance that Kayneth began to realize it was in fact her that had knocked him out. Wincing from the pain he rubbed his head as he finally began to calm down, even still it appeared that his Servant had sensed the disturbance, from afar Lancer's voice could be heard echoing throughout his mind.

_'__Master!? Are you alright? I have so far been unable to locate any of this tea you requested but I sensed something was amiss. Should I return?'_

_'__No no no, there is no need for that, just go and guard the entrance to the hotel or something for the moment.'_

_'__Very well then, as you command Master.'_

With his Servant dealt with he attempted to reasonably talk with this fiance, however the best he could utter were some vague words of confirmation.

"Uh excellent, yes excellent, this is most excellent news…"

Ignoring the whimpering condition Kayneth was clearly in Sola went right back down to business.

"So what did you want…"

"Oh right, well I came to check on you. After last night I felt it most improper to leave things as they were. " He attempted to sound sincere but even that felt amateurish at best.

Rolling her eyes right in front of him she made sure to show her displeasure.

"You came to check on me? Do you not trust me? Are we not destined to wed after the war? And you wish to start with a show of mistrust?"

He knew that her mood was not the best right now but even he was taken aback by her sudden hostility. Speaking up slightly more than before he went on the offensive as his head throbbed even harder than before.

"I was only concerned for you! Can you not see that? Why must you be so stubborn about this?" Now Kayneth was beginning to get annoyed once more, he couldn't bare to take this on and off conflit much longer.

"No… Why must you be so stubborn about this? Why can you not see fit to leave me in peace? Always going on about your next greatest action! It's so maddening!" Her voice raised as she was further pushed into a corner.

"I only wish to keep you informed, that is all. Is that not one of the greatest honors I can bestow?" Rubbing his forehead in frustration Kayneth couldn't help but be exasperated by the situation. It was taking all he could to keep his cool, he would not all himself to make the same mistakes of the past. It was the thing he swore to the most.

What felt like an eternity passed between the two of them as they stood there in silence. Using the silence to his advantage Kayneth pondered just what should be done. It was clear that Sola wanted her privacy so direct supervision was out of the question. But he couldn't risk her capture, that was an even worse thought. If that was the case… Perhaps lockdown was the necessary choice?

Taking a deep breath to prepare himself he decided to give Sola an ultimatum. Perhaps it would sound unfair at first, but in the end if it ensure no harm would befall her then perhaps that was what needed to be done.

"Sola, do you still refuse my option of direct supervision through the use of familiars?"

"Are you deaf? My answer remains the same!"

"Then it clear there is only one option, please believe me, I only do this for your safety. There have been too many anomalies for me to reasonably protect the both of us. Therefore I have decided that it is best if I.. Ahem, we initiate the lockdown protocol. _Initium!_"

Without even giving her a chance Kayneth began the final activation of the grand ritual he had been preparing since the war's beginning. In a matter of seconds the entire top half of the hotel was surrounding by silver haze as layer after layer of bounded fields wrapped around the entirety of the hotel's upper surfaces. To the naked eye it would look as if a cloud had rolled too close to the ground, but for magi, it was a sign that Kayneth was ready for any and all invasions.

Had had greatly studied the lands around Fuyuki, aware of a barrier that deflected spiritual beings that surrounded the Ryuudou Mountain he had researched a method to create his own version. Fueled by a multiple of furnaces designed to perpetually fuel themselves for at least two weeks the walls surrounding Kayneth and his fiance were like a miniaturized version of the Ryuudou barrier. It was a year's effort in the making, the pinnacle of an El-Melloi's research and by far the most impressive creation Kayneth had ever created.

But for Sola, it was her worst nightmare, in a matter of seconds her delirium has reached new heights as she began to call out for him.

"...Lancer…"

"Excuse me?"

"I said where is Lancer!?"

He knew exactly why she called out to him, and he could care less. With a cold expression he stated exactly where his Servant was.

"Lancer is to be outside the _initium_, he will be my eyes and ears while we stay safe inside until a time where I can deem the threat has passed. I am sure you can agree to this?"

"Bring him back... "

"What do you mean?"

**"****I SAID BRING HIM BACK!"**

Her state was deteriorating, and it only served to made Kayneth all the more colder towards the both of them. His heart was quickly turning to steel at seeing her expressing her emotions so openly against him. Was this was he wanted? Why did seeing her on the verge of tears hurt so much more than the blow he had just received?

However before he could give her a response a new voice but one all too familiar to Kayneth echoed throughout the air around them.

"KAYNETH EL-MELLOI ARCHIBALD, ITSA 'BOUT TIME 'AY FINISH THINGS WITH YA, HAR HAR HAR HAR!"


	9. Chapter 8 - The King of Storms

If you would like to check out an illustration of the scene below drawn by my friend Phearo please feel free to check it out on my main profile description.

* * *

Kayneth was stunned to hear that man's voice again, after all there was only one Servant with a voice that roared with such tenacity. Putting his current argument with Sola on standby he rushed over to the nearby window and snapped his finger so that the purplish haze that surrounded his fortress became transparent enough to be seen through and it was just as he feared.

The armada or Francis Drake, Rider's Noble Phantasm was pointed directly at his fortress and Rider stood there above it all ready to continue the war as if nothing had happened. And so it was such that Kayneth realized if he did not take things just as seriously his own defeat would also be inevitable.

Turning back towards Sola who was also glancing out the window in concern he began to rush out his commands.

"Sola, we will finish this later, now listen to me. If we are to get out of this then you know what must be done. Regardless of what you think of me or my Servant pour yourself into the functioning of both. Go to your room now and start immediately, when we have finished dealing with this fool of a Rider we can talk all you want. Now go!"

She hesitated only for a moment and with a final glance out the window left without another word. Seeing how she refused to give any mention of concern towards Kayneth put a heavy sore on his heart but there would be a time for emotion later. Right now it was essential that he kept himself focused on the battle in the immediate future.

Withdrawing from his coat pocket a long crystalline pole like object Kayneth walked towards the center of the room while simultaneously ordering his Servant through their link.

_'Lancer, you are to climb up to Rider's ships and disable Rider directly, I will hold off the barrage. Now is the time to show me your speed as a Servant of the most agile class, I will accept nothing but the best from you.'_

_'Of course Master, I will make sure Rider's defeat is swift.'_

That was all that needed to be said between Master and Servant. Even as he reached the center of the room and uttered the keyword that would unleash the mass complex of barriers and magical constructs that comprised the fortress Rider began his assault.

"Remember my name by the death from my passing! Temeroso el Draque! I am the man who set the sun! You rascals, it's time! The king of storms, a swarm of ghosts, this is the beginning of the Wild Hunt!"

Placing the silver spike into the center of the magic circle it began to glow in a silver energy that spread through to the rest of the circle before reaching into the walls and spreading throughout the entire base.

The spike itself was a mystic code Kayneth created that would allow him to synergize more efficiently with his base. By acting almost like an enhancement device Kayneth would be able to cast with the strength, speed, and capabilities of his entire fortress' resources.

Closing his eyes he began to sense on hotel-wide scale just as Rider held his gun high in the air and aimed every single ship cannon towards the vulnerable looking hotel.

"Aim!"

"_Nectunt…_"

In a flash a silver barrier stories tall formed itself around the solid steel structure of the hotel itself, even as civilians began to gather around the base in curiosity as to what was happening it appeared that neither side was about to let the common folks get in the way of their upcoming battle.

"Fire!"

"_Pertinent_!"

His circuits and the multiple prana furnaces echoed to life just as a barrage of cannon fire was unleashed from the armada that encircled Kayneth. Cringing only slightly from the pain of his circuits being pushed into full activation he pushed the barrier to reinforce itself ten times over.

'Around twenty ships total, armaments include cannons with heated metal, oils, and fire, appropriate countermeasures conjured, walls strengthened and pushed to max capacity.'

A silver wall that had formed across the hotels' outer surface began to feel the full brunt force of Rider's Noble Phantasm onslaught. The hotel underneath the silver wall remained safe while outside the walls themselves began to screech and shift from the blunt force due to blast after blast being slammed against its metallic looking surface.

Already one small corner of the barrier was beginning to crack as the blunt force of cannon fire proved too much for it to handle. However before it could reach the critical breaking point Kayneth was already fast at work.

"_Amplificare!"_

The cracked surface shined brightly before liquidizing and reforming itself into the pure silver wall once more. It wa by only through analyzing the entire wall itself Kayneth was able to continue repairs as soon as they become necessary.

Eager to test the limits of his Magus' workshop Kayneth felt renewed and more vigorous than ever, his focus was as sharp as could be even as he repaired cracked wall after wall. The furnaces that continued to generate mass amounts of prana, as well as Sola's own supply that she was sharing with him and his Servant would keep him and his barrier fueled for the moment. But until Rider was defeated it would be only a battle of how long he could last until the Hyatt's destruction.

The air shook and the cannon fire roared as blazing hot metal continued to slam into the metallic barrier, however though neither side was going to give in the reality of the situation meant that hot shards of metal began to rain down on the panicked bystanders that happened to be below.

The screams of the common folk were easily drowned out by the rush of adrenaline from their ongoing battle, as such Kayneth was willing to sacrifice of few of them for the sake of progress. In the end if a few had to pass away to prove a hypothesis then perhaps their immediate deaths would be far more powerful than any mundane life they might have had in the future.

As such Kayneth ignored them as he continued his war, it would be up to his Servant to see how quickly Rider could be taken out. In the meantime he would do all he could to make sure that his wall was kept as strong as could be. Kayneth would simply continue to cast as fast as his mouth could move.

_"pila lucis dena! inundatio ventum: quattuordecim diebus!"_

* * *

As she wandered back into her room Sola plopped onto her bed as the disinterest in her fiance's great fight mattered little to her. As time slowly passed she even considered simply taking a nap over aiding 'him' in the fight. But ultimately her nature refused to allow for that.

She would do it not for Kayneth but for the one she was destined to be with. She would do it for Lancer

Once more regaining her resolve she stood up once more and moved to a nearby wall placing both hands directly on it she began to pure a minimum amount of magical energy while simultaneously pouring the rest of whatever she could offer to 'her' own Servant.

Though she did have a crest her magic circuits were top notch, she would easily be able to support both her Servant and Kayneth's fortress without completely exhausting herself. As such she only need to wait and continue her own silent prayers in the hopes that they may be answered.

_'Please Lancer. Please stay safe…'_

* * *

Diarmuid was at the base of the hotel watching for any intruders when he sensed the approach of Rider and his armada. Before he could even figure out his course of action his Master issued his command.

''Lancer, you are to climb up to Rider's ships and disable Rider directly, I will hold off the barrage. Now is the time to show me your speed as a Servant of the most agile class, I will accept nothing but the best from you.'

_'Of course Master, I will make sure Rider's defeat is swift.'_

And that was all Lancer needed. In a single effortless bound he left the hotel lobby ignoring the panicked civilians as he materialized into view. Grasping his crimson spear he shoved it into the ground using the momentum to fling himself high up into the air straight towards the hotel exterior.

Rider's armada was directly above him, he only need to run up the side of building until he reached his opponent. Praying to himself in the hopes that his Master would be able to maintain the fortress until he reached Rider he sped up the pace as he continued to count the floors.

_'...28, 29, 30...'_

The building shook as the cannons began their barrage of the hotel's outer barrier. Screams could be heard from the base as the frightened normal folk began to notice the ensuing battle. But Diarmuid none of that mattered, even as he raced vertically up the hotel wall he continued balance himself against the rocking of the building.

_'...36, 37...'_

Just as he reached the base of the great barrier protecting his Master Lancer pushed off the wall and flew into the air and straight into the oncoming cannon barrages. Effortlessly avoiding the cannonballs that got in his way he pushed off others to increase his speed until he neared the first and nearest of the floating ships.

"Ya think I'll let ya!? Fire!"

A great number of the cannons changed their course and fired at the incoming Lancer yet he was not about to be phased. It was a literal wall of fire there was not way through and yet by bending his body into an impossible angle the barrage missed its mark as Lancer landed on the ship.

_'Heh, it appears that his attacks have gotten more desperate.'_

Shaking his hand slightly Lancer felt the sting of blood as he silently cursed himself for not completely evading all of the cannons. His Master was completely absorbed in the defense of the Hyatt, as such there would be no time for healing spells it would be up to him to cross this gauntlet with his current status.

Grasping hard onto his yellow spear to nullify a bit of the pain in his hand Diarmuid braced himself and began to run full force before quickly reaching the edge and jumping to the next ship.

There were eight ships standing between him and Rider and he would have to cross them all before he could get a good shot at the enemy Servant.

Landing with ease on the next ship he immediately began the charge to the seventh when a feeling of dread sprinkled throughout his body.

Before he had even reached the edge he leaped with all his might just as the ship below exploded sending a wave of fire in all direction and burning at Lancer's backside. Ignoring the singeing smell of leather he braced himself for the rough landing onto the next ship before immediately continuing onwards.

There were six more ships in his way, but Rider was not about to let him get there without a fight.

"How about this!"

As Lancer leaped towards the next boat Rider ignited it. It was a leap into flames but Lancer was not about to halt his advance. Consumed by the flames Lancer lept towards the nearest flying piece of debris and lept off it leaping off towards the next boat.

It was not enough reaching as far as he could Lancer's jump put him inches away from the fifth boat. Just before he was about to fall he slammed Gae Dearg into the side of the gold laden ship piercing its hull and giving Lancer a position to jump up.

"Ya think that's all!? Cannons aim, fire!"

Even as he lept onto the next boat the cannonfire was raining from all angles ripping the ship itself apart and forcing Lancer to keep moving. There were four ships standing in his way, he was almost within range.

"Like hell I'll let ya!"

Time began to slow down as Lancer pushed his body to its limits, the ground below him began to rupture as the hull of the ship reached maximum capacity and exploded into fire and stone along with the three ships in front of him. Now in a freefall he would have one chance to take Rider out.

Perhaps sensing that his Servant was getting close Kayneth issued another command.

_'Lancer I will defeat Rider, I want you to halt his movements, keep him from moving using whatever means possible.'_

This command changed Lancer's tactics, once more grasping the Gae Dearg in his uninjured hand, as he soared higher and higher into the skies he found himself at a good angle to hit his foe, taking careful aim he throw the crimson rose with all his might launching it forth like a rocket.

The enraged Rider distracted by his confrontation with Kayneth and previously weakened from their earlier fight attempted to jump out of the way, but with his movement slowed he couldn't avoid the attack completely cursing as the yellow spear slammed into thigh pinning him to his flagship.

"Damnit all git off ya cretin, I said git off!"

And just as high as he had previously flown Lancer could no longer maintain his momentum, hoping that his Master had some sort of plan in mind he once more fell back towards the earth and away from the immediate battle just as the words for a spell rang out amongst the chaos of the exploding ships and cannonfire.

_"Spiritualis terminus!"_

* * *

Tend to the weakened sectors, repair cracked and damaged holes, tend to the weakened sectors, repair cracked and damaged holes… Kayneth's mind raced as he pushed himself to his very limits in an attempt to keep his forcefield operational. But even with his capabilities his magic was quickly falling behind that of the cannon barrages that continued to rocket forth towards his steel-like wall.

Just as the cracks were repaired a new larger hole emerged forth in another sector. It was a battle he could not win directly, and though he loathed to admit it, his strongest asset, Lancer was his best hope at a quick and decisive victory.

Even as he continued to repair sector after sector he could feel the vast stores of magical energy that held the entire surface of the barrier together begin to slowly deplete themselves. Even so as luck would have it Kayneth could sense his Servant edging closer and closer towards the Golden Hind Rider's flagship.

And so Kayneth conjured up an idea, but he would not be able to use the stores of prana in the hotel itself if he wanted to keep the barrier functional, he'd have to use his own personal supply of magical energy to perform the ritual.

Even so if he aimed it there was a good chance even an injured Servant like Rider could sense the oncoming blow and avoid it. As such he needed a diversion, someone to distract or disable Rider while he performed and activated the ritual.

_'Lancer I will defeat Rider, I want you to halt his movements, keep him from moving using whatever means possible.'_

Trusting that his Servant would be able to understand such a simple command, Kayneth began the chant that would decide the battle.

_"MXI coordinare per IX coordinare."_

Feeling his circuits brimming to life as he pushed them to their limits Kayneth braced himself as the feeling of the foreign substance raced through his body. His head began to scream in pain as his breathing became more and more ragged. Even still he had trained for the ability to use his circuits under even the most dire of circumstances. Bracing against the pain he continued onwards with the chant while simultaneously pouring as much magical energy into the hotel as he could manage.

_"Spiritualis terminus!"_

The walls around him glimmered with a silver light as the barrier around the hotel was push to its limits and the cannon fire pushed further and further, closer towards the very foundation of the building itself.

_'This is it dread pirate, now disappear once and for all!'_

_"INCIPE!"_

_A beam of pure silver magical energy concentrated itself directly in front of wall in Kayneth's fortress before firing straight through the magical barrier and towards Rider's now pinned position._

"God damnit get the hell off o me!"

Desperately clawing at the crimson spear that had been plunged deep in his side Rider took the brunt of the attack head on.

"Aaaarrrggghhh!"

The complex algorithms began to wreck the Servant Rider's body as the very core that comprised his Servant began to disrupt itself from the unholy nature of the blast. His body began to vibrate horribly as it struggle to maintain its form, in a howling voice Rider continued to fight on till the last breath.

**"HeeERE THHHIss, TthhHiss Isss Nnot tHEEE LLLAaasst YAAA'lll hheEErreee oFF CaapppPTTaaIInnn FrrAAnnCCiisS DDDrrake…"**

The crimson spear that held the dread pirate to the hull of the ship was also caught in the blast. With a sickening and ominous red glow a multitude of cracks erupted around it just as Rider's body began to liquefy in a horrifying manner.

With their Master incapacitated the ships that had been firing so consistently before ceased their barrage as they disintegrated from the lack of Rider's ability to maintain them. It was clear the battle was over, Kayneth had and his team had managed to hold off Rider's assault.

Even as the beam withered into nothingness Rider's horrid melted face and body began to disintegrate into the air along with the falling of his ships. Even the screams of pain that had wracked him began to fade with the wind as the Servant that had given Kaynet so much trouble began to disappear.

"Serves that fool right, his defeat was decided the moment he was summoned to the wrong man."

Seeing his opponent now utterly defeated and fading Kayneth finally breathed a sigh of relief just as the fatigue of the continuous battle caught up to him. Wincing from the pain of his body being pushed to its limits he stumbled to his knees but caught himself before he could outright collapse.

It was truly a test of his fortitude, and though Kayneth was superior in the realm of magical knowledge even he knew that he often neglected daily exercises more than he should. His body had grown weak from the fight and he needed a moment's rest, but for now he could rest easy knowing that his hotel had proven itself against an enemy Servant.


	10. Chapter 9 - Aftermath

With the ships sinking fast Kayneth could finally turn his attention to repairing the destruction to his fortress. Though his barriers were able to prevent much of the damage to the hotel the surrounding did not fare so well.

The buildings directly around the Hyatt after being bombarded by cannon shells were enveloped with craters that covered their surfaces, the crowds around the hotel had long since scattered leaving the area around to be nothing more than an empty wasteland of destruction amongst the formerly bustling cityscape.

"What an annoyance, I'm going to have to make a call to the mediator about this."

He was sure that old man would be able to take care of things for Kayneth free of charge, that would make the recovery of his fortress all the faster.

Once more glancing out the window Kayneth was shocked to see that the ships had not quite disappeared yet, despite what he had previously thought it appeared that the flagship, the Golden Hind, was still holding on using sheer willpower.

"NoT DOne, I CAn sTIll kEEP GoinG!"

Kayneth couldn't believe his eyes, the Servant had unmistakably disappeared - he saw that same familiar golden dust fade into the air, the same as the Assassin he had killed previously. Yet that voice was none other than Riders bellowing the out the same stubbornness he always had.

'_Lancer! Can you sense his presence? Where is Rider?'_

'_He should be dead, Master, but I sense a presence however faint from the bowels of his flagship. It appears he's using the last of his power to maintain that ship but given the damage he sustained it won't be long before even that will prove too much for him.'_

Lancer's words were ringing true even as he spoke them, it was clear that the Golden Hind itself was in no stable condition to maintain its position, it was already tumbling towards the earth at rapidly increasing speeds.

"IF ay' CAn't BEat YA HEAD on, ay' CAn At leaST takE ya' DOwn with ME!"

The ship's descent began to change course from a downward flight into one headed straight towards the base of the hotel. It was clear to even Kayneth that the fool was intending to take the hotel own with his final breath, but the nobleman was not about to let that happen.

Unfortunately the base of the hotel was where his fortress was at its weakest so direct magic would prove to be impossible, with his mind rushing through option after option he finally settled on the one he must the quickest.

'_Lancer, stop that ship, use whatever means you can muster and halt its decline!'_

Rushing into action Lancer once again ran towards the base of the hotel to prepare, as a single Servant and one without proper tools to actually stop the ship he would use his body if necessary. Such was his nature as a Servant who obeys.

However Kayneth had more than just his Servant at his disposal this time, closing his eyes he began to mutter to himself.

"Excitare…"

From within the depths of his hotel a multitude of creatures awakened from their slumbers, beasts and wraiths alike began to move and stir as their Master called forth to them in order to serve their purpose.

Multiple roads echoed throughout the bounded halls as the evil spirits left their crypts and began to gather towards the base of the hotel forming into a sickening black mass.

"_Move_!" With a wave of Kayneth's hand the black mass that had gathered began to push forth meeting the encroaching ship head on colliding directly with the hull of the Golden Hind and slowing its descent ever so slightly.

"_Nolite Obdurare!"_ The black mass was losing to the might of the mighty flagship but the exterior of its body began to harden into a thick carapace, seeing the opportunity Lancer began to run along the top of the black ooze and upon reaching the collision point reached for the flagship and pushed against it with all his might.

Though he was just a single man, he was indeed a Servant blessed with superhuman strength and that strength was proving to be more valuable than ever, the mad descent of the Hind had now slowed to a crawl but it was still moving over so slightly. Kayneth needed something more, something that could take that ship out in one fell swoop, and then it hit him.

'_Lancer on my mark I want you to retreat, I will take that ship out myself.'_

Hesitating for only a second Lancer reluctantly obeyed, in a flash of wind he lept out of the path of the oncoming boat and predictably causing it to push forth once more just as the wraiths attempting to surround the ship made their way towards the center of the ship's hull. Surrounding it from both inside and out Kayneth released his final chant.

"Ignis!"

The wraiths that enveloped the entirety of the ship subsequently exploded with the ship quickly following suit. The explosion was massive, causing multiple shockwaves to ripple forth as they shattered what remained of the windows to the surrounding buildings.

Even the Hyatt was a victim to the blast, from its position just below the boundaries of Kayneth's fortress the skyscraper rocked back and forth causing Kayneth to stumble to his knees as the entirely of his fortress swayed but ultimately held.

When the echoes of the explosions finally began to die down and Kayneth could see through the haze and smoke he saw that his gambit had proved to be enough.

When he saw Rider detonate the ships that Lancer was attempting to use as jumping points he knew that they had to be packed with some kind of explosive likely to be used like enormous remote bombs as a last resort in case Rider's attack seems likely that Rider was killed far earlier than he expected as he was only able to steer a single ship towards the hotel and even that one failed.

However his mistake was in also allowing his flagship to be loaded with those same explosives as they created a perfect fuel for the detonation of the wraiths. Where the wraiths alone would have likely not been enough, the combined explosion of both forces was enough to tear the ship to nothing more than splinters and shrapnel.

Though multiple floors had cracks in them and the foundation was surely rather damaged the Hyatt and Kayneth's fortress were both alive and well. He had won, and even Rider's last stand was proved to be no match for the supreme magi's intellect.

He was invincible! Surely no Master or Servant could stand in his way now!

'_Detonate C4…'_

"The telephone?"

The sudden ringing of the telephone startled Kayneth who turned towards it. The sound that echoed from its mechanical chime sounded dark and foreboding, yet Kayneth couldn't help but walk towards it just as the building began to shake anew.

"Did one of the supports fail!? No... This is far worse."

The rumbling got worse and worse until the ground beneath him quickly gave way. In the less than a second it took for the floor to collapse a silver sphere formed around his body as his Volumen worked to protect its Master, yet there was only one thing on Kayneth's mind.

Sola was still in her room. "Sola!" Even amongst the collapsing floor Kayneth tried his hardest to push towards her room but it was proving impossible to move in any one direction. He was in freefall and if he dared to get rid of the sphere of mercury surrounding him it was likely he would not survive. He had no choice, he had to rely on his Servant.

"Lancer! Save Sola!"

It was the only command he could give before the entirely of the skyscraper gave way and Kayneth fell into the blackness of the void below and with it his chance at an easy victory.

* * *

**Interlude Start**

Waver awoke amongst the shaking of the decrypt warehouse and the screams of citizens running in terror. Rubbing his head he stuttered to his feet from the freezing concrete floor.

"W-where am I?"

If a confused daze he glanced around the room only to find that his Servant was nowhere to be seen. Rubbing his head in pain it was then that he remembered, while his back was turned someone must have knocked him out.

"Rider!?"

His shouts echoed throughout the room yet there was no response, repeated attempts to call for his Servant were met with nothing. It was clear that Rider was gone.

"Rider!"

Panic began to set in as Waver began to shudder in pure terror at the thought his Servant might be gone for good. He had to get out of there, he was no longer safe, he needed to run. Pushing through the rusted steel door Waver took to the streets and ignoring the sudden burst of inertia that wracked his body he stared out at the open skies and his jaw dropped.

There, high in the air a multiple of wooden ships were collapsing and fading into oblivion. In pure shock he watched as they all faded from view until the very last one sank below the city's skyline and the ground shook with such a force that he was thrown to his knees.

"No, no, no this can't be happening. I refuse to believe it!"

Ignoring the panicking passersby he began to run towards the scene of the fight as quickly as he could. However before he could even make it to the end of the street a second shock wave rocked the buildings around him causing him to trip and fall once more.

It was hard to see amongst the city's buildings but it was clear that one of skyscrapers had collapsed likely due to the fight that had just occurred.

"W-w-what the hell is going on!?"

In his confused state, Waver once more got to his feet and glanced around, unsure of what to do he simply stood there in a daze, it was as if his whole world was collapsing in on itself until it hit him.

"Oh that's right! The Command Seals!"

It was a desperate option but it was the only one he could think of using, if he could just call Rider back they could figure out what had occurred. However when he glanced at his arm the realization and dread he had been hoping was false was thrown against him in full force.

The Command Seals were gone. He was no longer a Master, Rider was dead.

"Oh god, no, no no this can't be happening, oh god…"

His delusions grew stronger as reality set in, he was no longer in the war, he was nothing more than a normal human magus. And he was a vulnerable target right in the middle of a warzone.

He needed to get out of there, he needed to escape, he needed sanctuary.

"T-t-that's right the church! The moderator! Surely he can help!"

Once more Waver took off in a run, this time towards the church. If he could just make it there he would be safe once more. He might have lost the war but at least this way he would still be alive. Ignoring the pains his body was giving him he took off towards the church on the hill ducking through streets and alleyways.

Turning the corner into a particularly thin alleyway he felt his legs lift up from under him and once more sending his face straight into the concrete.

His body was in pain, screaming at him to breath. Struggling once more he opened his eyes and from his position on the ground he came face to face with what he would soon realize was the last thing he would ever see.

Standing above him, was the single white skull shaped mask, like the grim reaper itself it stood there knife in hand and spoke to him.

"Just where do you think you are going, boy?"

**Interlude End.**

* * *

Upon releasing his silver bubble he was met with the thick sight of dust and debris. Nearly choking on it in surprise he whispered a few words before allowing himself to breath normally once more. His body was exhausted, he felt as if he might collapse at any moment, yet still he moved. From the depths of the wreckage of the hotel he began to move as best he could.

Time was running short it would not be long before this place was crowded with normal folk and he needed to get to Sola and get out of there before that happened.

'_Lancer, where are you!? Do not move from your location I will come to you!'_

'_I'm at the outskirts of the wreckage, come quickly Master, I'm not sure how much longer she has.'_

That was enough to trigger a panic in Kayneth's eyes. Despite his bodily fatigue and despite how difficult it was to climb amongst the rubble and destruction around him he managed to pick up on Lancer's location and head towards them.

It took what Kayneth felt like was an eternity but eventually he had made his way out of the worst of the destruction. The haze of dust had yet to lift but to Kayneth and his ability to filter and see through it was nothing more than a nuisance.

His entire base had just collapsed from under him, months of preparation and planning, a fortress to stand the test of time, gone in a flash. Yet that could all be replaced in time, the only thing he cared about right then and there was her.

And finally, after using more energy than he ever thought he had, Kayneth saw them. Hidden amongst a crowd of steel beams Lancer stood guarding the body of Kayneth's fiance.

"Stand back you fool, let me take care of this!"

He did not care how irrational he sounded, he only wanted Lancer out of there so that he could examine her condition. Upon seeing her body Kayneth knew it was not good. She was still breathing but her breath was ragged and uneven, clearly a sign that she had breathed in far too much filth. It was simple enough to conjure a spell that would filter the dust and ease her breathing but the rest of her body would be far more tricky. Her clothes were ripped and torn and she was bleeding badly, a huge gash covered her face from where the building had begun to collapse. It was fairly obvious from this site alone that by the time Lancer had gotten to her.

"I thought you were the fastest Servant in this war."

His remark was met with silence yet that only served to anger Kayneth further. However there would be time to punish his Servant later, for now he needed to focus on Sola's survival.

If he did not act quickly it was clear that she would die consumed by her wounds and the strain on her body. As such he needed to lessen that strain as quickly as he could. There were a multitude of spells that could help in the art of healing and rejuvenation but the ones that were strong enough required circles and hours of preparation. Considering his options Kayneth silently cursed to himself before coming to the realization that there was really only one course of action that would save her quick enough.

If he could take away the strain on her circuits it would ease the pressure on her body. And there was one quick way to take that strain away but it would cost him his greatest advantage in the war, his sign as the supreme Master.

No, there was no need to think on it any further, if it meant saving her life he would do anything, even cast aside his right as a magus if it meant she could be saved. He knew it was stupid and illogical but that was just a part of being in love.

Standing up from his observations he turned towards his Servant and held out his hand simultaneously taking off the filth covered gove that protected his Command Seals.

"Lancer, with the power vested in this Command Seal. I order you to cancel your connection with Sola, I hereby take the full strain of the contract as my own."

"But Mas…"

Before he could even finish the command was executed and in a flash of light Kayneth felt the strain of maintaining his Servant directly. Subsequently though it was difficult to tell Kayneth did believe Sola's breathing was eased slightly.

Her life was saved for the moment but with time ticking it was time to move on.

"Lancer protect her with your life, we are moving, now…"

Making sure to take the utmost care Lancer picked up Sola's body and the two made their way out of debris.

* * *

"_O inclusi terminus..." _He quietly chanted to himself as he drew with great precision the complicated sigils and lines required for such rituals.

"...stat munus vitae..." His body was screaming at him for rest, his hand felt heavy to move and his brow was coated with layers of soot and sweat yet even amongst all that he forced himself to concentrate. Using a vial of silver liquid he would pour and etch into the stone cold concrete an array of various circles and intricate designs each suited towards the purpose of healing and stasis.

"...et ipsis." Signalling to his Servant he instructed him to place Sola in the center of the magic circle afterwards he activated the circle and with a quick spark of light a faint gentle light began to emanate from it enveloping Sola completely. It was the best he could do given his current circumstances the rest would be up to Sola's own willpower to stay alive, and with time over the course of a few days she would slowly start to recover. Yet as if to prove Kayneth right her voice had already gotten far more peaceful than before, like a gentle night's sleep she lay there quietly resting before them.

Finally the strain of the day proved to be more than a match for the great magus, giving his Servant one last instruction to guard the warehouse from any intruders he collapsed to the floor, the strain of maintaining both the magic ritual and his Servant alongside his already dangerously low magical levels was proving to more than a match for him. He was nearly run dry of prana, he could hardly even move anymore.

"So… It appears this is my current limits… How unfortunate…"

Yet even though his body and mind were begging him to rest he refused. Taken a small broken shard of glass that happened to be lying around the abandoned warehouse, he grasped onto it using the pain to keep himself awake as best he could.

He had to make sure the ritual was maintained until Sola was in a more stable condition, if he dared to fall asleep it would be like leaving her fate up to the gods and he refused to leave such an important thing up to any foolish being like that.

Rolling onto his side he could see Sola, quietly sleeping away the remainder of what had quickly turned to night. From his position she looked almost like a princess awaiting the prince that might take her away from the misery of the world. Silently, Kayneth truly wished to be such a prince, he wanted to help her in whatever way he could, then perhaps it was ok?

Reaching for her rested hand he weakly grasped onto it with his free hand and silently stared at her. He knew if she ever found out about this she would likely give him a good slap in the face but he did not care. He just could not help himself, after all despite her peaceful slumber to him she just looked lonely. Maybe just a little bit it was already to take this small initiative at least for the remainder of the night.

As hour after eternal hour passed Kayneth's vision wavered but never faltered, silently he continued to stare at her sleeping face as his own grimaced in pain from the glass shared that had now stuck itself deep in his hand.

Yet he could not help but think about various things, his early days, the magus prodigy who was fated to bring glory and honor to his family, his current days as a lecturer amongst the many bright minds of the clocktower students eager to learn about the magical world. And finally, he thought about the future, with his beloved soon to be wife.

He softly smiled to himself as he imagined her, sitting down with a beaming face tending to their newly born child while he sat nearby drinking his favorite brew of tea. He imagined the faces of students yet to be seen, and how bright their eyes would get at the new discoveries he would found alongside his soon to be heir.

He could see the faces of his rivals and colleagues silently frustrated at the multitude of patents and promotions handed down to him for his hard and much deserved work in the fields of spiritual evocation, and though they might be jealous he knew deep down even they would come to appreciate his genius.

He even imagined his final days, when the time would come to pass on his crest to his child, his face wrinkled with the age and experience of a lifetime would slowly smile at the wealth of achievements he would come to accumulate over the years and he would be able to see the glimpse of the bright future that lay ahead for them all.

'_It appears that her condition has finally stabilized, that's… Good.'_

As the break of dawn finally began to arise once more, Kayneth, assured that she would be alive for at least the next day, finally fell into slumber.


	11. Chapter 10 - A Desperate Action

When he awoke, Kayneth found himself staring directly into the face of his lover. The sun had long since risen and was barely etched upon the horizon. As Kayneth attempted to stand, he found that his body was still greatly fatigued. Aching from the soreness of having pushed his body to its limits along with the uncomfortable sleeping position amongst the concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse, he knew there was not a moment to spare.

His opponents had already taken the offensive, someone other than Rider had taken down the building using conventional weaponry before he even had a chance to respond. They were likely already searching for his whereabouts if they had not found them already.

Turning once more to Sola, he checked her body again to confirm that the magic circle was still began to do some light stretching in an attempt to loosen up his stiff body as he called for his Servant.

_'Lancer, give me a report.'_

There was a moment of silence before the familiar voice rang throughout the empty warehouse. Lancer was around but, whether out of consideration for his Master or just to conserve magical energy, he refused to materialize.

"Everything has been quiet, my lord. have not sensed a single Master or Servant since I began to stand guard.."

Judging from the amount of time Kayneth had spent sleeping night was already around the corner and the fact that no one had spotted him or his Servant yet was nothing short of a miracle. After finishing the stretches Kayneth reached into his pockets and began to assess their contents only to quickly let out a deep sigh.

His entire fortress, the Hyatt Hotel was gone, the only remnants of it were the pile of rubble that he and his fiance had just barely managed to climb out of. But that was not the only tragedy before them, along with the entirety of his base, a great multitude of magical tools and trinkets were wiped away in an instant, his magical furnaces that endlessly fueled his battles were gone as well. Even the wraiths which had previously saved his life were now nothing more than vengeful spirits who would be forced to roam the ruins of the Hyatt until they too faded into the nether now that their source of stabilization was gone.

It was truly the worst result for the once great victor to this holy grail war. After analyzing his pockets he realized the desperation of the situation as he only found his trusted Volumen, a few vials of curses, some potions of emergency prana and a few other trinkets including his white reinforced gloves.

And to make matters worse his foes could be upon him at any moment now, with the hastily made magical barrier in place it would be far more difficult to find them but it was still only a matter of time. If Sola had still been in good health his options would have been far greater, he might have even considered going for one of the stronger teams like the Einzbern or Caster himself, but alone he could not afford to take such risks.

Remembering the Einzbern Kayneth could not help but twitch as a through passed his mind, once more reaching into a coat pocket he pulled forth a small brown torn piece of cloth and glanced at it. It was thick and designed to withstand the harshness of the outside world likely the clothing of a seasoned veteran and also the best clue he had towards the one who had destroyed his hotel. But that matter would have to wait, for now he needed to take move, then perhaps it was time to take drastic actions?

The Einzbern were out of the question, their family was too old and their Servant too powerful to consider negotiations, and even if that was not the case there was the simple fact that they had already turned down an alliance with him. The Tohsaka were similarly just as stubborn and their Servant that Archer was likely one who would refuse to work with any others with no exceptions. Caster was likely an insane serial killer and as such he too was not an option. Assassin's Master was pretending to hide in sanctuary with the church despite the fact that Kayneth had already killed one Assassin and so going there was no different than admitting defeat.

But was that such a bad option? Admitting defeat was a thought that crossed through Kayneth's mind for a few short moments before he ultimately decided against it. Though his prana levels were far shorter than they used to be he could still fight at near peak conditions, additionally any attempt to transport Sola out of the city in this condition would likely be met in retaliation by another Master, as such that too was out of the question. Though such an option was tempting, Kayneth believed that it was best to see things through till the end.

That left one final option, Berserker and the Master of the Matou, normally an alliance like this would be impossible. But that Berserker might be the one Servant that his Lancer had the greatest advantage over compared to all the rest, additionally, the Master seemed to be rather blinded to a single target. That single Mindedness would be far more easy to control than any of the other Masters. And if worse came to worse, Kayneth always had the option of taking the Matou Master down by force and forging an alliance through the oath of a gaes. It was a dirty tactic but so long as it was done through a pure battle of magic between two Masters Kayneth's reputation would be safe.

After taking all these factors into consideration a battle plan was quickly drawn and the nobleman moved into action. Calling forth his Servant once more he began to lay out his plan.

"Lancer, your increasing failures on my behalf are beginning to call for some form of punishment, but seeing as how I am reasonable man, I am willing to grant you a chance to make up for your past mistakes. We will quickly march to the Matou stronghold to form an alliance either through negotiation or by force. Depending on how you act, I may be willing to forgive a few of your past transgressions. But let me make myself perfectly clear, your past is already quickly beginning to catch up with you, even if you complete this task perfectly the line you are currently walking with be thin indeed. Do not fail me, _my _Servant."

Again refusing to appear the proud Servant could only softly acknowledge the commands given to him before quietly roaming off once more to watch over the place until it was time to leave.

Wanting to say more to admonish his Servant but deciding against it as it would be too much of a waste of time, Kayneth returned once more to the quietly resting Sola. Sleeping there peacefully as if the outside world no longer mattered, Kayneth could not help but give a small sigh after once more glancing at her quiet but charming face. If he could even give her another five minutes to whatever pleasant dream she was having, Kayneth would not mind.

Once more kneeling down by her side, Kayneth put his hand onto her forehead and uttered a single word.

_"Somnum."_

With a deep sigh Sola's breathing got even fainter as her body entered a deeper sleep than before. The sleeping charm he had just cast would make sure that she would be able to continue experiencing her quiet sleep until he returned with a proper base.

Giving himself a nod of confirmation, Kayneth double checked the barriers that surrounded the warehouse and then triple checked them. He then gathered a few familiares and placed them at key points surrounding the building, if anyone even a normal human were to step inside he would know in an instant. It would only take a single second for him to Command Seal Lancer to return, but even still Kayneth could not help but feel nervous about the idea of leaving Sola behind on her own and helpless. But with no other choice he took a final deep breath and with a walk full of determination he exited the warehouse towards his next destination, the Matou Manor.

* * *

Deciding that it was better to travel as quickly and silently as possible, Kayneth allowed his Servant to carry him as they quickly made their way out of the warehouse district, across the wrecked bridge, through the large four way crosswalk, and finally up the great hill that housed the foreigners section of the city. The entire trip lasted only a few minutes compared to the hour long trip that it took a few nights ago and when they finally reached the great steel gates Kayneth was relieved that no one had attacked them on their journey.

The sun was now only a just above the horizon and the dark and ominous mansion that lay before them was their main target, and one way or another Kayneth was going to make his way inside. Pushing past the steel gate that surrounded the perimeter he made his way towards the the main door, while ordering Lancer to remain dematerialized. If the Master was here then they would easily be able to sense the enemy Servant so close regardless of what form it was in.

The stone courtyard in front of the house was dressed in an exquisite european design with a small garden and a few large trees surrounding it. Despite how dark the place might look at a first glance, for Kayneth he could tell that this was indeed the place of a proud and ancient magus house.

_'Master, I can sense Berserker's presence inside that house, but whether he has not noticed us or his Master has decided to wait I am not certain.'_

Considering his Servant's remark, Kayneth approached the imposing wooden door at the entrance and gave it a large knock.

The empty courtyard echoed from the empty sound of the door and the chirping of crickets but there was no response so Kayneth elected to knock again.

A few moments that seemed like an eternity had passed and still there was nothing, perhaps his nerves were getting to him as Kayneth believed that the annoying buzz of the insects only continued to get louder. Hoping to end this quickly he knocked a third and final time but it was to no avail.

"Must I do this the difficult way?"

Making sure that any prying eyes could see what he was doing, Kayneth began to gather magical energy into the tip of his finger, if the residents of the place were not going to answer then he would enter by force. However before he could unleash any spell an ancient sounding growl hissed as a man who sounded to be in the twilight of his life spoke from the darkness of the shadows.

"That will not be necessary Master of Lancer, despite the fact you came without invitation or warning I will humble you with a meeting. Please come inside"

The sound of a man fumbling with the door could be heard before it slowly creeped opened revealing what Kayneth could sense to be the Master of Berserker. Despite his face being covered in a hoodie the deep wounds and decaying flesh of a dying man could easily be spotted.

It was clear to Kayneth that this man was not worthy of being called a Master or a magus of the Matou, he was a pathetic dying breed that should be put down before any more harm befell his family name. But even still there were more important things to worry about, making sure that Lancer was close nearby the two followed the sickly man into the building.

"Grandfather has requested you join him in the upstairs study, please follow me."

The only light that shone in the old mansion was what leaked through the thick dark curtains that covered all the windows, it was a murky and hopeless place, but a place that was highly attuned for the art of magecraft. Even as they went up the stairs Kayneth could acknowledge that this was a place that had at least a little bit of history though nothing compared to his own family name.

'This Master, he seems so weak it's almost a joke. Would the Matou really stoop so low? I heard that their family was in decline but I never realized it was truly this bad.'

Past closed door after closed door they slowly made their way, it would be very difficult to see if i wasn't for Kayneth's excellent vision and what little light manage to find its way through the thick dark curtains.

Finally they reached the largest door at the very end of the dark hallway, and with an ominous creak the Master led them into the study where he came face to face with the true Master of the Matou.

Perhaps in a bid to give the two some room to talk the Master of the Matou slinked off to the corner of the room where his Servant was nearby, invisible but there. It would only take a slight provocation to awaken that hound, knowing this Kayneth would make sure to treat this discussion with utmost of care.

With the false Master out of the way Kayneth turned his attention to the aged corpse of a man that sat at the desk. Even from just a glance, the sagging face and greyed skin showed off a man that was less than human, there was only one person who belonged to the Matou that could give such an appearance.

"Zouken Matou I presume? Or should I say Makiri Zolgen?"

Giving a polite bow as a show of good will Kayneth recalled the old man's original name. Of course he had done extensive research into all the big families that were likely to participate in the war but even Zouken was a tough egg to crack. Though his family's legacy was not nearly as great as Kayneth's own and was likely in a steady unstoppable decline the head of the house himself was a man of great power and respect. It was likely to Kayneth that Zouken had been alive for at least a few hundred years if not longer.

"Zouken is just fine Master Kayneth. It is not everyday that one such as yourself willingly walks into my house with no ill will. Why is it you have come? I am sure you are aware that there is currently a war going on are you not?"

His eyebrow raised ever so slightly he went straight to business. To Kayneth, it was clear that this man was aware of the politics that the clocktower could easily fall into, it was likely that the old man intended to finish this affair as quickly as possible

"Very well then head of the Matou, it had recently come to my attention that it would be most advantageous if an alliance was formed between myself and another ruling house."

"There is no need to beat around the bush Master Kayneth, I am very much aware of the destruction of your base as well as how you find my 'grandson' to be the easiest to manipulate. It is because of this weakened position that you wish to gain a second wind by using another Master, if you are going to attempt an alliance than I recommend being honest with your intentions."

From the way his voice was able to pinpoint every bit of Kayneth's weaknesses to the smirk on his face it was clear that this old man enjoyed the torture he put people through. However even Kayneth was no slouch to such cruelty as an expert politician himself he accepted the snide comments and simply moved along with the conversation.

"I see you are aware of the circumstances, then this will be quick, as I am sure you are well aware forming an alliance would allow us to swiftly bring to an end this war, it is at that point that we can decide the final victor with a one on one duel to the death with our Servants."

Ignore the provocations and continue onwards towards the main goal, this was Kayneth's style.

A moment of silence passed as Zouken pondered the situation until eventually with a threatening glare he retorted.

"Tell me then Master Kayneth, what is it you have to offer in return? If I am to give this alliance between you and my grandson my blessing then there needs to be an offering on both sides. So what is it that you can give to me besides the empty promise of victory?"

_'So this is how he wishes to take things, how troublesome but I suppose it was unavoidable in the end...'_

Tapping his hand to his chest for a moment as he thought about how best to reply, Kayneth eventually gave in and asked.

"It appears you already have something that I can accomplish, otherwise for what reason would you ask such a direct question?"

A devilish grin spread across the old man's face and even through his pitch black eyes the joy could be seen like some kind of hideous fungus that had found its prey. Was he attempting to pity the nobleman or was it nothing but pure evil, Kayneth could not tell.

"The Cup, I wish to receive the cup of the Holy Grail, the lesser Grail if you wish to call it as such. I am afraid certain protocols prevent me from acquiring it directly but they will have no such qualms if an outside forces chooses to do so."

The cup of the lesser grail, a tool provided by the Einzbern for the purpose of completing the ritual of the Holy Grail. In a flash of memory Kayneth recalled the Einzbern homunculus he had previously attempted an alliance with. It was likely that she knew of the location of the Grail, as such perhaps this task would be easier than he previously thought.

Growing impatient at Kayneth's indecisiveness Zouken laid out the ultimatum.

"If you want to form an alliance, bring me the lesser grail."

Aware of the danger Kayneth was indeed hesitant at first, but his mind was made up. His options were slim as such he would take whatever he could get.

"Very well, I will accept this task. However, I have two conditions."

Feigning surprise the old man responded.

"Oh? And what might those be."

"First I have a companion who was injured in a previous encounter, as you have mentioned before my previous fortress has been destroyed and as such due to her injuries keeping track of her while accomplishing this task will be rather difficult and may even hamper my chances. As such I request that you keep watch over her in this place until I return. Should I perish in this task then I ask of you to send a letter to my family and they will handle her safe return back to London."

"Your first request is agreeable, what is your second?"

"As you are well aware of the Einzbern are a powerful player in this war, they have a top Servant and Master, as such I request the aid of the Matou Servant and Master to help me accomplish this task."

"I refuse!"

It was a voice Kayneth had not been expecting, the voice of the sickly man who had been silent up to this point finally rang hollow through the room.

"Why the hell should I help some snot nosed nobleman like you!?"

Before Kayneth could give this peasant a much deserved smack down Zouken first responded.

"Oh but Kariya, did you not know? The Lesser Grail is an Einzbern woman who is also very talented in the magical arts. Though she herself would be a poor fit for inheriting the Matou name any child she might have would certainly be of use. Do you understand 'grandson?' Sakura's training will go on, but if I have a second option I could consider lessening the strain on her body."

That was enough to shut Kariya up, clearly frustrated at this turn of events the man could do little but sit there and hold his tongue for the time being leaving Kayneth to continue.

"I take it this request is also permissible then?"

"So long as my 'grandson' has no other issues then neither will I. He and Berserker will also accompany you on your mission."

"Very well then, if there are no other concerns my Servant will go to retrieve my fiance while we discuss the course of action that will be best taken to capture the Lesser Grail."

Nodding to his incorporeal Servant the Lancer left at once to accomplish the task set before him. In the meantime the group would discuss just how they would take on the Einzbern and their Master.

* * *

**Interlude Start**

"Hmm."

Tokiomi tapped his finger on the neatly unfolded letter. It was an invitation, an invitation to a magus' duel.

"But why."

Seeing as this was a war he was expecting such a thing eventually but not from this person. In disbelief he once more read through the letter re-reading it in full.

*To Master, Tokiomi Tohsaka

I hereby challenge thee to a duel of magi, using the standards and honor set by the mage association I hereby request a battle at the time of 11:00 pm by the end of tomorrow's eve. As stated by the the established rules you may therefore assign the location of this particular duel should you choose to accept it. Please send your reply and hand it to the familiar waiting outside your residence.

Dearest Regards, Waver Velvet.*

"A duel, despite the fact that boy should no longer be a Master, I have little choice but to accept."

He could just as easily turn the offer down seeing as how Waver Velvet had already lost his Servant, but that was against his nature. Declining an honest duel properly requested was against the Tohsaka name. However even though he was going to accept the duel, the method of victory would be indirect. After finishing a fine glass of wine Tokiomi returned to replying to the letter then immediately contacted his own allies. There was much to do if he was to prepare for the fight tomorrow night.

**Interlude End**

* * *

Zouken had provided the group with a small black car so that they could get to the Einzbern forest as quickly as possible. But even as they drove up towards their location the memories of what had just transpired between Lancer and Sola weighed heavily on his mind.

It was supposed to be nothing more than a simple run and grab mission. Lancer would return to the warehouse and retrieve Sola from the magic circles that Kayneth would remotely deactivate.

However when Lancer had gotten to the location he had come across a band of Assassins who were also prowling around the area likely looking for the owner of the magic barrier. Fending them off was simple enough for Lancer but the majority of them had escaped and knew of the fact that Lancer and his Master likely still lived.

However even that was preferable to what had happened when Lancer had returned with the still sleeping Sola. Zouken had given Kayneth a guest room that Sola could use while they were away, while she was being set down she mentioned a single name. "Lancer." And that was enough to cast Kayneth's emotions into complete chaos.

Deciding for at least the moment that it was best to keep Sola unconscious Kayneth decided to leave the sleep spell active for a while longer, though she would be mentally and physically exhausted on top of her injuries when she woke up next a nice big meal would help to alleviate the fatigue.

It was then that Kayneth had little choice but to leave in order to ensure that they would have a place to rest in the coming days. The war was already proving to be far more fiercer than he had even imagined and he could not afford to wait any longer.

A tiny bump in the road alerted Kayneth to the changing environment, the rows and rows of buildings was quickly being nothing more than dense forests. Glancing over to his companion the Master of the Matou Kayneth considered asking if his condition would be alright given the denseness of the forest but ultimately he decided against it. He had nothing in common with this man who so clearly despised magi despite being on himself. If he died during the mission then it would simply be another Servant down for Kayneth.

"This is the place"

The large black car quickly dropped Kayneth and Kariya off by the side of the road next to the large forest. Deep in the center of this forest the Einzbern had a castle where their base lay. Zouken had also given information as to the castle's location and where the Einzbern were likely to put their pawns.

They would only have to walk a few steps before the Einzbern homunculus could likely sense them, thinking about that Kayneth once more recalled the plan.

"Just so you know, I am not doing this for you, I have my own reasons for hating you and everyone else who dares to call themselves a mage but I will cooperate so long as it eases her pain."

It was just as Kayneth had suspected, he would never get along with this man called Kariya. But so long as he followed the plan then he would still remain useful. As such Kayneth was eager to continue onwards.

"Likewise, well then I will be going, make sure you put them in the correct positions."

"Yeah yeah…"

With their conversation finished the two split up, off to find the Einzbern Grail and with it save the ones they so deeply cared about.

* * *

It was the now the dead of night and Lancer's mission was quite the simple one, he would be the first to go deep into the forest, and call out Saber to a duel. After running for what felt like a few hours he reached what appeared to be a decent clearing before then calling out to the emptiness of the woods.

"Attention! Servant of the sword! We have met once before but it is my Master's wish that I challenge you to a duel! I ask of thee to face me one on one so that we may decide who is more worthy of the knight class! You have twenty minutes to arrive or else I will be forced to march into the castle myself, and I will not promise others will go unscathed if I do."

It was now time to wait, remembering that beautiful enchanting figure from before Lancer was eager to fight. He had hoped that one day he might be able to properly go toe to toe with Saber and it appeared after humiliation after humiliation luck was finally on his side.

As he patiently waited he pondered just what else he would have to do to get his Master to respect him once more. He was perfectly aware that his Master's fiance was beginning to have feelings for him and he knew not just what should be done for that.

The fear and anxiety that history might once more be repeating itself was something that Diarmuid could not help but think about but perhaps most of all he feared that maddened expression his Master got whenever he felt that Lancer had done something to besmirch his honor.

Just as it was about to reach twenty minutes Lancer could finally sense that his target was getting nearer. In just a few quick seconds she finally emerged from within the bush and made herself known.

Lancer was the first to speak up, perhaps his anxiety was finally reaching its apex but he could not wait to get started. This was the kind of fight he had been waiting for since the very beginning.

"We meet again, Saber. I apologize for not properly introducing myself as things were cut a bit short due to those interruptions. But now we finally have time to enjoy ourselves, I have wished to fight a majestic maiden such as yourself from the beginning. It would humble me if you would be willing to entertain me with a little duel."

"Lancer, why have you come to this place…"

Ignoring Lancer's attempt at flattery Saber was straight to the point, she had clearly realized the oddity of the situation but could not refuse a duel once it was requested.

"I mentioned it before, I am here as I wished to duel you, nothing more, nothing less. My Master being the great man he is has allowed my wish to be granted and so I will fight with all my strength, now come let us duel!"

Without even giving Saber a chance for response Lancer took out his crimson red spear and charged. Though the yellow spear was still weakened from the previous night's fights his combat capability would not be affected in the slightest. He was a master combatant able to adapt to any situation and this would simply another of those that the honored knight would accomplish.

Saber was ready, brandishing her invisible blade she prepared herself and met Lancer's flurry of strikes head on. Both sides were prepared to cut each other in two should either hesistate but that was not to be, it was a battle of the strongest heroes, Lancer with his single spear sent forward a session of strikes so fast they created a shockwave with every slice and cut the ground with every whip of the blade.

It was through this that Saber was able to keep up in her own right, every stab no matter how fast was blocked or evaded with ease, each slash parried yet with every attack the magic that made her blade invisible faded for just a split second enough that Lancer was quickly figuring out just what kind of sword it was.

"That blade, such a holy weapon of that kind of magnificence could only belong to a few heroic spirit and even fewer were worthy enough to wield it."

Without pausing Lancer continued on the offensive while remarking of Saber's brilliant weapon. A strike aimed straight for Saber's throat was deflected before it could even come close.

"It appears you have figured out my true identity then, but I still cannot say for sure who you might be nor do I know exactly what your Spear does but if you truly value yourself as a knight then such things are worthless as I am sure you know."

Finding a moment to attack was extremely difficult for the swordmaster, even though her capabilities were far above that of even most Servants for Lancer his speed was superior. Yet right after another volley of strikes aimed for her chest Saber's blade immediately change course and aimed straight for Lancer's heart.

"Ah, so that is how long your weapon is, I applaud your trickery Saber but it will not be enough to stop me!"

The blade was quickly deflected as Lancer jumped back, signalling a change in his tactics Saber quickly followed suit and stepped back as well. The two now stood face to face in what was likely to become another charge against each other.

"Your style, the grace at which you fight while still keeping that eye of ferocity is most commendable dear Saber. Would these be any other circumstances perhaps we might have gotten to know each other even better."

Once more taking his stance Lancer prepared himself for the instant it would take for each side to reach one another, seeing her opponent ready himself Saber was already prepared.

"Your flattery will do you no good Lancer. I have already sworn an oath to my own Master that I would see him win the Grail. Now come, let us settle this!"

In the span of less than a second the two forces collided with enough strength to send the nearby trees reeling from the sheer speed of their movements, Lancer aimed straight for Saber's chest just as she aimed for his heart. In that short moment the conclusion was already decided.

A small jet of blood flooded forth from Saber's body as she stood there in shock. The armor that she had been counting on deflecting the spear was completely ignored as the spear went straight through towards her flesh cutting through to her side.

"Your Noble Phantasm…"

However skilled as the tactic was even Lancer was not so invincible as to emerge unscathed. Flinching from the unexpected pain he silently cursed himself as he too took a small wound to the shoulder.

"It appears you have figured it out then. Yes this crimson spear has the ability to cut off any form of prana it touches, whether that be the magic enchanting your own blade or the armor that surrounds you none of it will do any good should it come into contact with my blade. However I must admit, I had not expected you to also land a blow on me, for that I must commend you Saber. Your abilities as a Servant are indeed top notch, it is no mistake that you are truly the King of Knights."

Spinning his spear around in excitement Lancer readied himself for her next move, it was true that neither of them had a Master nearby for support, as such they would be forced to make due with the condition they had.

"You are just as skilled in the art of battle as well Lancer for that I commend you, however I will not lose here!"

Realizing the uselessness of her armor, Saber quickly dematerialized it before readying herself once more. Though she took a nasty wound in the process it would not affect her battle condition in the slightest, she truly believed she would be able to take Lancer out in this next attack.

Once more the opposing sides faced off, one on one, it was a fight that would decide their fates the fates of those around them. The world around them stopped for just this single moment as everything around them went silent as if in anticipation on who would win.

And then they charged, once more in the span of less than a second the two sides blasted forth towards one another. Their blades aimed for each others hearts they would not let the other live. And just as they were about to meet their mark did Saber vanish in a powerful burst of magic leaving Lancer alone on the battlefield once more.

"It looks as if Master's plan was a success, I just hope he will be safe in the meantime…"

Not surprised at all by the sudden disappearance of Saber but disappointed that their match could not continue for any longer Lancer took one more glance around the newly destroyed forest before taking off in a run towards the direction he sensed his Master to be.

* * *

The figure of Kayneth made his way past the opening of the trees and through the courtyard coming face to face with the enormous Einzbern Castle. It was truly a sight to behold especially seeing as how it was located hours away from civilization and deep within the forest but regardless the nobleman was unaware of such concerns and slowly made his way inside.

Pushing through the great stone door he continued to walk forwards when an explosion rocketed the grand hall of the entrance area as thousands of tiny lead ball lashed out in every direction from the trigger of the C4 trap that Kiritsugu had previously set up.

Yet when the smoke and debris from the attack faded Kayneth emerged unscathed, his clothes has been ripped and torn slightly but his body was completely unharmed. Seemingly ignorant of the explosion that had just occurred he continued to walk farther into the depths of the castle.

For Kiritsugu who was watching on nearby cameras it was extremely suspicious, no normal human could withstand the blast of a C4 at that close of range and even most magi would have to pause to defend properly, yet this Kayneth continued onwards as if nothing had happened.

He was already suspicious of this entire ordeal, Lancer's call to a fight and the appearance of Lancer's Master whose location was previously unknown were all factors he was preparing to deal with, only to have them show up anyways.

Maiya was currently escorting Irisviel out of one of the back paths of the forest so that they would be able to stay away from the fighting, and with them out of the way Kiritsugu could focus on finishing Lancer's Master as quickly as possible.

Once more checking his guns he prepared himself before leaving the command room and quietly sneaking through one of the many secret hallways that the castle possessed. Using the knowledge of Lancer's Master's location he was easily able to maneuver around the magus.

Appearing directly behind him Kiritsugu used his magic to hide both his presence and his heartrate, it was the ability to manipulate the time flow, an ability he would be able to use so that he could position himself properly in such a way that there would be no chance for a counterattack.

Readying his smg he took aim at the back of the nobleman and fired. The magus failed to react in time, pelted by the volley of shots they ripped through his clothes sending the man into spasms as he received the full brunt of the bullets.

His blue coat was torn to shreds but he did not fall to the ground, in fact he was not even bleeding. Continuing to stand there in a daze he slowly turned around as the face and clothes of the man Kiritsugu thought was invading was quickly turning into something far worse.

**"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅！"**

A maddening roar, a roar that was the sign of the end, and with it Kiritsugu began to run.

_"Triple Accel!"_

The idea that other Servants might be able to take on the forms of others was not out of the realm of possibility and Kiritsugu knew this. However the idea that a Berserker could follow such a complicated plan and disguise himself so perfectly was not something he had been anticipating but it did help to affirm two suspicions. He now knew that the Masters of Lancer and Berserker were working together and that this was nothing more than a diversion for the real plan.

**"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅！"**

The mad knight had grabbed the leg of a nearby table and had crossed the gap in the span of less than a second. Even with Kiritsugu's supreme speed there was no chance he could outrun this beast, and thus he was forced to resort to one of his last options.

"Saber return!"

The glimmer of a Command Seal being used flashed and in the blink of an eye the man's Servant appears from the void blocking Berserker's charge straight on.

**"AaaAARRRRRTTHHHUURRrRRR!"**

The mad beasts howl screamed of vengeance and his interest in the Master of Saber was gone, he now only cared for the King in front of him.

"Berserker!? So then Lancer's declaration was only a trap…"

She too had realized the error they had made but with little choice in the matter Saber was forced into a direct confrontation with the mad beast before her.

Taking the opportunity Kiritsugu continued to run, Saber would be able to distract Berserker long enough for him to escape. Without pausing for even a second he continued to run, if the attacker's target was not him or his Servant, there was only one other person they would be interested in, the Grail.

Without missing a single beat he ran as fast as he could, ignoring the strain his body was being put under he continued to run outside the castle and straight into the forest depths.

* * *

The two figures were running through the edge of the forest depths, they had escaped the castle quite some time ago and the decision was made for them to escape so as to avoid anymore conflicts with the enemy Servant and Master.

However what they were not expecting was the idea that a third person, the Master of Berserker might also be after them. Shortly after they had begun to make their way through the forest Irisviel had sensed the appearance of a man who appeared to be Berserker's Master.

With his crippled body and hoodie he was slowly making his way to intercept their location. At first they had made a detour so that he would miss them but it appeared that the bug familiars he had dispatched all throughout the forest were also sensing their location just as they were sensing his with the great forest bounded field.

Changing course to match theirs yet again he continued to wobble his way closer and closer to them. If it was the Master and Servant they might have retreated back to the Castle, but Irisviel could only sense the Master, and so they made the decision. They would take the Master of Berserker head on and finish him quickly before he could get a chance to call for his Servant.

Slowly the Master of Berserker wobbled his way into a small opening on the edge of the forest. It was still pitch black outside and the sounds of the night time creatures were all around him. Glancing around he paused for a second before once more continuing onwards when the sound of gunshots echoed throughout the forest aiming directly for the defenseless Master of the Matou.

Even if he had heard the gunshots there was no way he would be able to call for Berserker before the rounds pierced through his head, that was Maiya's belief. And yet she was shocked when the silver bubble quickly emerged from its hidden location under the hoodie of the man who she had thought was Berserker's Master.

A silver wall deflected each and every shot with ease as the man ripped off his hood to reveal not the face of Kariya but the face of Kayneth disguised in Kariya's clothing.

"I had thought the Einzbern were smarter than this, using conventional weaponry and running away from a direct confrontation. Has their family really fallen so low?"

Another round of gunfire this time from the opposite direction aimed directly at the newly revealed Kayneth yet not a single round pierced through his silver shield.

"I was secretly hoping to test my skills against an Einzbern homunculus but it appears I will be met with disappointment today. Oh well, if that is the case then I will simply get this over with."

Pausing for a mere second the nobleman began to sense his surroundings, somewhere nearby were the presences of two magi, one hidden in the trees while the other was attempting to circle once more in an attempt to surprise him from behind.

With a smirk he pretended to stare into the darkness once more and waited for the gunshots once more. When he felt the woman pause to take aim he shouted his command.

_"Scalp!"_

The silver wall of mercury instantly changed shape into a ball before a series of long tendrils stretched outwards and swung at the seemingly empty tree line.

"Aahhhh!"

"Maiya!"

The screams of both women echoed throughout, one out of pain and the other out of concern.

"What a simple creature, well I suppose it was all I could have asked for. Very well, your death will be quick as I have much to do tonight."

"Wait! She is not your target, I believe it is me you wish to see."

Before he could give the order to finish off the woman the silver haired homunculus appeared from the darkness of the forest. With eyes filled with determination it was clear that she was not about to go down easy.

"Ah there you are, come to surrender?"

Shaking her head she readied herself as silver thin strands began to grow around her outstretched hand.

"I refuse, I will stop you here and now."

_"Shape ist Leben!"_

A silver bird emerged from the silver threads and took to the skies like a shining beacon in the night it roared straight towards Kayneth with outstanding speed and energy.

"Ha! Nothing can pierce the shield of the Volumen Hydrargyrum, _Shield_!"

Quickly returning to its Master the ball of liquid changed shapes once more back into the wall like shield in order to protect its Master. The eagle rammed the shield head on but in the end it only ended up shattering against the silver wall.

"No! I refuse to give up. Kiritsugu will accomplish his goals! _Shape ist Leben!"_

Once more another eagle was formed but this time it was joined with a second bird which took off in the opposite direction. If they could not meet the shield head on then they would try to flank him.

The bird charged him head on while the second went for his exposed backside. However the results were much the same as the first time, the shield instead of remaining flat changed into tube like shape that covered its Masters on all sides. As the eagles rammed into it they met with little success.

"Hmph, I tire of this already., _Spike_." The wall once more changed form as numerous spikes shot outwards stabbing straight through the eagles causing them to explode.

"It's not over yet! The female homunculus was clearly showing signs of fatigue but she still fought on much to Kayneth's surprise. Was she not aware that if she damaged her own body by overusing her magic circuit she risked damaging the grail as well?

"_Shape ist Leben!" Stretching out her hands once more eagles began to emerge until a total of four had appeared. They took flight quickly and this time surrounded Kayneth on all sides. _

_Once more they charged his shield and Kayneth gave the same command, the spike wall emerged forth and shot out straight towards all four._

"What!?"

Instead of exploding like last time the eagles unraveled into hundreds of tiny threads which then began to constrict the Volumen's spike wall.

Making another motion with her hands the strings began to tighten further and further forcing the Volumen to this time restrict around Kayneth.

"A clever trick I will admit, but it will not be enough! _Harden_!"

The liquidus silver mercury ceased in its restriction as the Volumen hardened in form and function.

"No!"

Pushing more effort into her movements Irisviel attempted to constrict further but that would soon become her downfall.

"_Absorb_."

The Volumen changed from its hard surface to a liquid one once again this time allowing the threads to enter into the silver surface. However once there they entered the Volumen quickly set to work dissolving the threads entirely.

Seeing her threads failing once more Irisviel began to prepare another volley but her movements were already beginning to slow. It was clear she was not designed for this kind of long standing combat.

"_Shape ist… Shape ist…. Le-"_

"_Surround_!"

The Volumen left its post as a protector and once more charged at the woman this time trapping her into a bubble.

"_Harden_. It was an entertaining fight but I am a busy man."

The Volumen hardened into a hard rock like surface preventing any attempt for the weakened Irisviel to escape. Walking over to the bubble Kayneth put his hand to its surface and uttered the finisher.

_"Somnum."_

Her body was likely fatigued and starving of prana as such Kayneth was willing to provide it, however the gas that filled in the inside of the Volumen was full of a powerful sleep spell, she would regain prana but would be cast into a deep sleep for the remainder of the night long enough for them to return to the Matou mansion.

"Kiritsugu, I am sorry..."

The final words that she uttered as she finally lost consciousness were a testament to her devotion to the Master of the Einzbern but that mattered little to Kayneth.

From the darkness of the night another gunshot roared, despite having her body gravely injured Maiya had managed to stay away to fire one last shot, Kayneth surprised that she was even conscious cursed himself at the face Volumen was currently occupied however before the bullet could reach him, the spear of his Servant easily deflected it.

"Master! Are you alright?"

"Yes you fool I am fine. Now, quickly we do not have much time until the real Master of the Einzbern show up, I trust that you were successful in your mission?"

"Of course, I kept Saber busy until her Master called for her. It appears Berserker and his Master were also successful on their end. But what should we do with the other girl?"

With Irisviel now unconscious the Volumen had once more returned to its sphere but that let the question of what to do with the bleeding Maiya.

"Leave her, with any luck she will be a good distraction for the Master. Now come, pick up this girl and run towards the escape point, stay close by my side we will have to move quickly. Ripping off the remnants of the hoodie disguise he once more returned to the coat he was most comfortable in.

Leaving the injured Maiya the two ran off with Irisviel in the hands of Lancer. Their goal was the outskirts of the forest, if they could just make it there they would have a chance to escape. Kariya who had been acting as a scout was already at the destination that left just the two of them. But could they make it in time?

* * *

The magus killer had made one error too many this night, when he arrived at the scene of the fight he found Maiya unconscious and injured but alive. Taking a few seconds to halt her bleeding he once more resumed chase.

He ran for what felt like hours, for reasons he cared little for his Servant had still not come to his aid and so he refused to count on her for anything other than for use as a tool.

The dim lights of dawn were beginning to shine from beneath the cracks in the tree when Kiritsugu finally saw a glimpse of his targets. He had finally managed to catch up only to curse as he realized just how close they were to the edge of the forest. The enemy Servant was distracted carrying the unconscious Irisviel in his arms that left only one target. The Master, likely tired from the sheer distance they to cross in this deep forest he appeared fatigued from the amount of physical exertion he was likely not used to.

This would be Kiritsugu's best chance to take them out. Taking the large rifle he had stowed away he set up in the best position he could afford, perched atop a broken log he took aim and fired.

The sound of the large barreled gun rang forth throughout the forest upsetting the animals but missing Kayneth by inches. Silently cursing once more Kiritsugu realized his body was beginning to feel a feeling he had not felt since he was just a little boy, the slight edge of panic.

Taking a deep breath he cocked the gun once more and began to take aim when he felt the sting of an insect biting his unprotected face. The other Master, the one controlling Berserker must be nearby offering support but he could not see where that man was. Deciding that the Master of Lancer was the better target Kiritsugu remained focused and took aim once more, ignoring the tiny bites of the insects which were becoming more and more numerous with each passing instant.

They were almost at their destination the black car parked along the side of the road. The magus killer could not allow this to happen, taking aim once more the stings of the bees began to grate on his nerves but he could not falter. With another deep breath he waited for the perfect condition in the winds and fired just as the thick cloud of insects forced him into a retreat.

With Lancer nearby it would be unwise to continue following them unless Saber showed up. But she appeared to be distracted by more than just Berserker. Taking one final glance at Irisviel Kiritsugu took flight once more.

Kayneth screamed in pain as the bullet tore through his left arm causing blood to spray in all direction and throwing him to the ground from the shock.

He had been shot, someone had just shot him but he was not dead. Before he could rise to his feet he felt himself being lifted in the air by none other than his own Servant.

_'My apologies Master.'_

Taking Kayneth in his open hand Lancer took one last spurt before leaping into the car and throwing Kayneth in behind him. They had made it to their destination and with all heads accounted for the driver immediately sped off towards the destination of the Matou mansion.

Still reeling from the shock the dull numbing pain of adrenaline would only last for so long, the wound needed to be sealed and fast. Thought the ride was a little bumpy Kayneth took swift preparations at halting the bleeding at the very least. More could be done later, but for now his arm would survive for the moment.

The fact that no more bullets could be heard and with no other suspicious cars in sight led them to believe that their pursuer had decided it was best to let them go for now. But it would still be important to remain on guard in case anything might happen.

The shock was still in effect and because of this Kayneth did not feel any direct pain, just a sore numb feeling but he knew it wouldn't last forever, to make matters worse the one who shot the bullet was most likely still giving chase and Kayneth was not about to fall back just yet.

Breathing a small sigh of relief he took a look at the current passengers of the vehicle, there he sat in the back with Lancer who was still materialized and tending to the unconscious Einzbern homunculus, while the sickly Kariya sat in the front next to the silent driver.

After a quick confirmation that she was indeed captured Kariya resumed his silence only to quickly return to a bout of coughing as blood poured from his mouth. Despite the fact that he did the least running out of any of them he appeared to be in the worst condition.

**"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅！"**

The roar of the Berserker could be heard as he appeared from the dense sidelines of the forest limping as though he had been injured in his fight against Saber. Perhaps in an attempt to save magical energy the madman leapt onto the roof of the car startling the driver but otherwise causing no further harm.

Though there were some complications it appeared that their plan had worked, they had managed to capture the lesser grail while only utilizing a single Command Seal, though they would now have to deal with an angry Einzbern Master and his Servant that would be a battle for another day. For now Kayneth relished in his victory as drawn arose once more and the group one more returned to their base of operations.


	12. Chapter 11 - Their Hidden Desires

**Interlude Start**

In the midst of the cool night air, the lone figure carefully walked up the solemn steps into the tense atmosphere of the graveyard. His fingers were trembling and his journey was long despite the short distance he needed to travel, yet in the end he eventually reached the clearing where a few other figures stood.

It was here that Waver Velvet had been brought in order to fulfill Tokiomi's conditions of the duel. A proper duel of superiority between two magi where the loser would be killed or worse, forced into eternal servitude by means of a geas.

As a lone magus he had already lost his home, his respect, and his Servant, but he still believed himself to have a chance in the war. Perhaps it was out of sheer denial of the situation he was in, or perhaps he truly thought he had a chance at victory against the Tohsaka Master. Whichever it was, one thing was certain: Waver Velvet not acting normally..

He was still determined to prove his thesis was correct; prove that no matter the magus's background, as long as they put in enough effort, greatness could be achieved regardless of family heritage. Repeating what he believed to be a fact over and over again in his head he trudged on, yet why couldn't his hands stop shaking?

On the far end of the opening stood Tokiomi, as promised, with his golden Servant by his side. It was the same Servant whom Waver had previously witnessed annihilating Assassin, a fact he now knew was nothing more than a façade. Yet even knowing this, just a glimpse at The bored, yet still somehow condescending expression set across the golden Servant's face turned Waver's legs into jelly slowing his pace even further. With so much fear coursing through his veins it was a miracle he could stand at all.

And here Waver was, about to face down the Master of this Monster in a fight. Mustering what little courage he could gather Waver prepared himself as best he could before speaking up.

"T-Tokiomi Tohsaka, I, W-Waver Velvet, i-in accordance with the rules and laws that b-bind every magus, have app-peared before y-you to f-fight in t-this most honorable t-t-tradition."

Despite trying his best to come off as courageous and not at all scared, his voice had simply echoed in a wimpy shriek that even a fly would laugh at. Regardless perhaps in an attempt to show the elegant Tohsaka way Tokiomi ignored his soon to be opponent's fright and spoke as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Waver Velvet, I, Tokiomi Tohsaka, in accordance with the rules and laws that bind every magus, have agreed to your terms. However, as written in your letter, I wish to offer a representative for the Tohsaka name who will act in my stead."

He knew that this was going to happen, but even then Waver couldn't stop silently praying that it would not be that man. Even without Servants, Waver knew he would not stand a chance. His only option was to pray that the trump card he was given would help him somehow.

And so when the executor walked in from the shadows of a nearby tree, Waver still jumped in shock.

"I nominate my pupil, Kotomine Kirei to act as my representative for this battle."

"I accept!"

The answer was more of a squeal then anything, for even as the relief of not having to fight that golden Servant settled, other fears were quickly mounting.

"Very well then, as per the normal circumstance of such a situation, the duel will continue as scheduled. May the better magus win. Let the duel commence!"

Any meagre hope that Waver held at not having to fight a Servant was very short lived. Before his eyes could even register the movement Kirei disappeared from his view, with only the glint of a black key vanishing before his eyes.

The moment he lost sight of his attacker, he panicked. He hastily pulled out the small pistol, and held it unsteadily in front of him, his arms shaking like guitar strings .

He bolted, running past rows and rows of gravestones in an attempt to find his pursuer to no avail. His vision blurred, and he stumbled. His focus gone, and his heart hammering in his ears, he was quickly lost in the darkness of the graveyard.

The noises were starting to get to him, from the birds that were settled in the trees to the chirping of the cicadas. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not pick up any noise that might hint at his attacker's location

—hssssshhhh!—

"Behind!?"

Startled by the gust of wind, Waver spun around and reflexively fired off a shot, scaring off the local wildlife and knocking the already loosely held weapon from his grasp.

"No-no-no-no-no!"

Cursing his ineptitude, the oncoming sense of fear grew worse as the firearm uselessly fired off a second shot upon hitting the grass.

He dropped to the ground searching frantically for his lost weapon when he found a shining silver blade directly at his neck. He raised his head, staring into the expressionless face of Kirei.

There was no escape. He was going to die here and now. His Servant had faded and he could not do a thing.

_'I don't want to die, I don't want to die...'_

He saw the blade drawback slightly as Kirei readied himself for the kill.

"P-P-please!"

A memory flashed before his eyes. "...If you are going to die, then you have no choice. Use it, and you will live, but fail to live up to our expectations, and death is inevitable..."

"I-I want to live!"

There was an intense flash of light as Waver's hand containing his Command Seals exploded in a blinding light and a pulse of magical energy ripped through the air—directly at Kirei. Startled by the sudden outburst, Kirei stayed his hand for only a moment. But it was more than enough time to prove his downfall.

At such close range, evading the attack was impossible even for the executor, the blast of magical energy ripped through the priest's chest tearing a hole straight through his heart and throwing Waver to the ground. Out of sheer luck, in his attempt to catch himself Waver's hand fell onto the fallen pistol, and snatching it up, he aimed at the frozen Kirei and fired screaming in the process.

"Please don't kill me!"

Still frozen from the blast, Kirei was helpless to evade the shots that pierced his body one after another, tearing through the priest's organs. And when the shots finally stopped—His body was still standing…

"So this… was where…"

Though he had long run out of bullets, Waver continued to pull the trigger over and over again as if he hadn't realized what had just happened. Finally, the life in Kirei's eyes faded, and he fell to the ground with a single morbid thud, another lifeless body to join the graveyard's other residents.

Finally realizing that he was still alive, Waver opened his eyes once more and stared in utter disbelief at the situation. The bloodied body of his opponent was lying amongst the gravestones and Waver was still alive and almost no worse for wear. There could be only one conclusion.

"I'm alive? I won? I won!?"

Tokiomi, who had been watching the fight from a distance with Archer was now in shock. The idea that anyone let alone a talentless 3rd generation magus like Waver Velvet might be able to defeat his apprentice was, Tokiomi realized, something he had never considered. It had seemed too absurd a notion to entertain. Yet he had no choice, with the results set before him, he gritted his teeth and spoke the words with a tinge of anger in them.

"In accordance with the rules of the dual, Waver Velvet is declared… the victor. Now that the duel has concluded the Fourth Holy Grail War shall continue. And in accordance with these rules as a Master, Waver Velvet, my Servant and I will now fight you. My king,, your humble servant requests that you unleash your treasury against this cur!"

The Archer, who had watched silently the entire encounter silently with an expression of complete indifference, now seemed to show a hint of irritation. One of the few enjoyments he had found in this new life had just been taken from him. This obscene mongrel had pilfered it. Stolen that which belonged to his king! Did this unworthy wretch expect to simply walk away? Just once he forgave Tokiomi's ignorant command and the Gate of Babylon opened before him.

The barrage of weapons aimed straight at the paralyzed Waver would kill him easily, splattering his filthy remains all over this grotesque little corpse field, he had been compelled to stand in. But just before they hit their mark, there was a blast of smoke and light, and the scream of a man being run through by the numerous blades until there was nothing left that could be torn from his body..

"So they dared to interfere in my games? They will pay for this outrage."

As the dust settled and Tokiomi was able to look upon the results of Archer's display, he silently cursed his folly.

In Waver's place stood the body of a newly butchered Hassan. The former Master of Rider was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Kiritsugu had severely miscalculated the situation, he had not been expecting an alliance between those two men and that single mistake had cost him dearly. There had to have been some outside factor that caused things to change; why else would they work together?

His allies had been injured and his wife kidnapped, but he would fix this. He had been preparing all day for the evening that was to come; though he was by himself now due to Maiya's severe injuries, he should be enough to take on the master of the Matou.

It was likely that Saber had already left to scout around the Matou mansion. She would make for a good distraction so that Kiritsugu could slip in unnoticed and recover Irisviel.

Once more checking his firearms, he continued to focus as best he could, it was through this meaningless checking that he was able to recover that focus. Night was already falling, and soon it would be time to move once more.

Standing up, he began to walk out of the room when he stopped. Something was wrong. He could sense it. He turned around and froze, silently cursing yet again.

_'So, Assassin had been following me the whole time…'_

**Interlude Out**

* * *

Kayneth was having a good day. He had managed to accomplish his task remarkably well. The Grail was already in the hands of Zouken who promised to return it upon the completion of the Grail War, and Kayneth now had a new base of operations. Though it was not as flashy or powerful as the Hyatt, the Matou Manor would suit him well enough until the war's conclusion. And it was certainly better than that dump of a warehouse he had previously used.

The bullet wound that had ravaged his arm had already been treated, and would likely be fully healed in just a few days thanks to his magical abilities. Even an injury as great as this was of no more significance than a papercut to Kayneth.

If anything, he had only made a single mistake. His sleeping magic had been a bit too strong: though he had lifted the enchantment ages ago, Sola remained contentedly asleep.

Seeing her in such a peaceful state, Kayneth couldn't bring himself to wake her himself, and having his own Servant do it was out of the question. He did consider having the master of the Matou do it but he was locked in his room, likely spitting out another quart of blood, so he too was out of the question. Not as though he would let that disease ridden fool anywhere near his betrothed.

And so, though he knew she would likely be furious when she did wake, he could not help but let her lay in peace for just a little longer.

The ticking of the clock was a calming factor, and he continued to enjoy his cup of tea when a strange sound echoed throughout the dimly lit living room. The sound of a bird crashing into the window repeatedly was enough to garner Kayneth's attention.

Sighing, he set his cup down, and stood up, striding over to the window, he glanced at the small black bat on the other side that was performing an exercise in futility, attempting to break its way through the glass by ramming into it over and over again. It would undoubtedly break before the pane did.

Meaning that this was no ordinary bat.

"A famil—"

Before he could finish his thought, he heard the sound of gunfire and raised his mercury shield just in time for a spray of bullets to rip through the glass, and bounce off the silvery barrier.

**"AAaArRTTTThHhHuuuRRRRRR!"**

The rumbling voice echoed throughout the house, and the ground rumbled from the mad knight's charge. His sudden rage, combined with the shot could only mean one thing: Kiritsugu was making his counterattack.

"Lancer! Protect Sola! Berserker will handle Saber while I take care of her master."

Issuing his command, Kayneth blasted through the already shattered window with his silver battering ram, and strode out into the open garden courtyard where he found his opponent.

"So, you've decided to show your face, Emiya Kiritsugu."

Near the manor walls stood the Master of Saber, gun in hand. Saber and Berserker were nowhere to be seen, but it was clear from the sound of clashing blades that they were fighting in the vicinity. Perhaps Saber was meant to draw the mad knight away?

"I will admit, when I heard you were heading the Einzbern for this war, I was expecting more out of you. But now that I see what kind of man you truly are, I have realized something, you deserve a death no better than a dog's!"

Ignoring the provocation, Kiritsugu simply aimed his SMG and fired straight at Kayneth.

* * *

Kariya's body was wracked in pain, the Berserker he had summoned was tearing him apart. The pain would have been unbearable to any normal man, but he knew the truth. He was no normal man. His devotion to Sakura would not falter for an instant. He would save her regardless of how much pain he himself was forced to undergo. Whatever he felt right now, she felt every day. Nevertheless, in the state he was in, bent over the toilet and spewing out another mouthful of blood, he couldn't help but scream when Berserker awoke yet again.

He was not ready for yet another fight this quickly. How could he be? He had already used the majority of his magical energy on the battle last night. He was exhausted, and no amount of devotion towards a cause could keep his body in working order.

In such a pitiful state, there was no way he would be able to sense the approaching shadow hidden away in plain sight.

A hand abruptly materialized out of empty air, clutching a dirk, and just as quickly thrust the blade straight at the sick man's defenseless back.

—which was promptly deflected by a second shadow.

Confused, the Assassin fully materialized and turned around, only to stare down a second Assassin.

"You… I was of the belief that you were dead."

The first Assassin was correct: The man standing before him was indeed an Assassin, none other than the one who had been killed only days ago during a foolish attempt to take out a Master.

However contrary to his former ally's more talkative nature, the silent Assassin merely withdrew more dirks from his coat and silently charged.

Sensing that the situation was now out of his control, the Assassin faded to mist once more leaving both Kariya and the silent one by themselves once more.

"Hmph, pitiful Servant. Such a weak tool, the Assassin. Congratulations, Kariya, though it would have been most enjoyable to watch you die here, I have decided to further extend your suffering by a few more days. Now, you may continue to writhe there. I have other business to attend to," the aged voice of Zouken Matou echoed from the under the skull mask before it disappeared once more leaving Kariya to his own suffering.

"Old…astard…" he managed to gouge out, with a groan, before vomiting another pint of his own blood.

* * *

Kayneth knew the fight was proceeding in his favor. No matter how many rounds the so-called Magus Killer fired off, not a single one was able to pierce the Volumen's shield. Shot after shot ricocheted uselessly off his silvery barrier as Kayneth chuckled to himself. Was this really the best the infamous Kiritsugu Emiya could do?

Eventually the bullets ran thin as the clip emptied. Seeing his foe throw away the weapon like the junk it was delighted Kayneth, but that delight turned to disgust and then to annoyance when Kiritsugu pulled out another gun, this time a strange looking pistol.

"Ha, is this all!? When will you realize these weapons are useless!"

Aiming straight for Kayneth, Kiritsugu pulled the trigger.

As if in slow motion the bullet headed straight for its target. However right before it hit the wall of Mercury, a single dirk expertly aimed intercepted it's course and sent it flying uselessly in the ground.

"That bullet was aimed for his head. I told you not to kill; our Master wants him alive! The situation has changed due to unexpected circumstances. Now, we leave you to your fate."

The shadow that had appeared from the nighttime mist uttered this and disappeared. With a look frustration, Kiritsugu took one final look at the house behind Kayneth and then pulled a strange-looking object from his jacket. Then he threw it towards his intended target, and there was a noise like something exploding, and a blinding flash of light leaving Kayneth. Shielding his eyes from the intense light was left alone once more.

"Wait, what?! Where have you gone!? We aren't finished with this, now get back here, coward! Emiya Kiritsugu!"


End file.
